Impacts of education and perception on Vietnamese high school students' behaviors regarding plastic waste: the mediating role of attitude

This study analyzed the impact of educational, perception, and attitudinal factors on the plastic waste behavior of high school students in Vietnam. A cross-sectional research design and questionnaire survey method were used to collect data from 573 high school students. All the statistical analyses and hypothesis tests were performed using SPSS 26 and AmoS 20 software. Research results show that perception does not directly affect students' behavior toward the plastic waste problem (B = 0.051, p = 0.201 > 0.05, CI = [- 0.027; 0.130]) but has an indirect impact through attitude mediation, with an impact coefficient of B = 0.107 (p = 0.016 < 0.05, CI = [0.042; 0.177]). Educational factors positively impact students' behavior toward plastic waste through both direct effects, with an impact coefficient of B = 0.546 (p = 0.00 < 0.05, CI = [0.473; 0.620], and indirect effects, mediated by attitude, with an impact coefficient of B = 0.017 (p = 0.007 < 0.05, CI = [0.003; 0.037]). These findings are new compared to previous studies, contributing to enriching theories related to behavior toward the plastic waste problem and bringing practical significance to Vietnam. The findings of this study provide the basis for proposing measures to improve plastic waste behaviors for Vietnamese high school students.