Examining the Relationship between Sport, Physical Activity and "Green Attitudes" among Students in Different University Programmes

Marianna Moravecz¹Eszter Centeri-Baraksó¹Kinga Sikolya-Kertész¹Karolina Eszter Kovács^2*

• ¹Nyiregyhazi Egyetem, Nyíregyháza, Hungary
• ²University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

The United Nations 2030 Agenda framework highlights the role of sport in sustainable development in areas such as healthy lifestyles, well-being, quality education, gender equality and peaceful societies. Thus, the goals of Agenda 2030 are consistent with the goals of the Olympics. The main objective of our research is to map the role of green attitudes and sport in the sustainable habits of Generation Z university students aged 18 to 29 in the disadvantaged Northern Great Plain region. We examined three distinct fields of study: sports (N=170), education (excluding physical education) (N=176) and technical-agricultural (N=170). Concerning our first three hypotheses, based on the negative outlook of Generation Z, we point to the phenomenon of "neutral spillover". This is consistent with the findings of Lenzi et al. (2023), which indicate the uncertain living conditions of today's young university students. A novel aspect of our study is the Olympic factor developed in connection with the 2024 Paris Olympics and the "green" and "social" values. We use these to highlight the positive spillover effect of global sporting events, which influences university students' attitudes towards sustainability about mental well-being, providing an opportunity for sport to become a tool for sustainability education. Physical and mental well-being are crucial for youth belonging to Generation Z, which reinforces the relevance of our topic. As this generation has been socialised in the media world, the internet may also play a central role in terms of involvement in eco-conscious sporting events.