Green IT behavior of young generation

Abstract

As IT’s role in the world tremendously has been increasing each day, its effects on the environment has been becoming more crucial for our daily lives. Green IT has been investigated in the literature for almost 15 years since it was first mentioned. It focuses on IT’s role in the environment in regard to sustainable practices for both organizations and individuals. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding on the precedent effects of Green IT Behavior of students living in Turkey. In this study, a theoretical model was developed to understand the Green IT Behavior with several variables. Moreover, a relevant questionnaire was developed for each variable and surveyed through universities anonymously. Based on the data collected from 242 respondents, it is concluded that the higher pro-environmental behaviors and higher Green IT awareness lead to a much higher statistical significant relationship with Green IT Attitude of students. In addition, Green IT Attitude is positively, statistically and significantly associated with Green IT Behavior. However, the General IT Usage Level does not have a similar relationship as others have. Moreover, although students vary in the areas they study as whether they study in IT related or not, their Green IT Attitude does not differ from each other just as their age differences do not differ statistically explaining their Green IT Attitude as well. For students, this study demonstrates that the more pro-environmental and the more aware in Green IT leads higher Green IT practices overall.