Understanding Barriers Towards a Sustainable Lifestyle: A Qualitative Analysis

Sustainable Lifestyles, as defined by Burn (2011), is a philosophy that promotes a shift in our values, behaviors, and lifestyles. Through community learning and shared experiences, we strive to live more sustainably. However an individual may not act in a sustainable manner even if he has the intention to do so because of some hurdles which may be termed barriers to sustainable lifestyle due to lack of opportunity, knowledge, cost etc.

Purpose: The study seeks to investigate college students’ knowledge about sustainable lifestyle practices, the obstacles towards such practices, ideas and suggestions for developing an understanding of sustainable lifestyle.

Methodology: The sample included 32 undergraduate colleges from various districts in West Bengal. Stratified random sampling technique was followed to choose the under-graduate college affiliated by various universities within different districts of West Bengal. The sample (N-180) considered in this study were the college students whose ages lie between 17 to 21 years. The sample comprised 18 categories each containing 10 respondents. The interview used four open-ended questions and the responses of these questions were classified into separate categories and analyzed for in-depth understanding of the issues. 

Findings: The undergraduate college students were asked whether old habits are barriers to environmental action. The themes that emerged from the undergraduate college student’s responses include lack of skill, knowledge, confusion, inadequate time and cost, poor monitoring and evaluation, lock in situation (reluctance to change old habits), social barriers, and insufficient incentives.