Knowledge and attitude on environmental disasters through social media among university students in selected universities in Selangor

Sazali, Sarah Aina (2023) Knowledge and attitude on environmental disasters through social media among university students in selected universities in Selangor. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Malaysia is susceptible to moderate environmental disasters and the most serious calamity in Malaysia is flooding. Research shows that flood is the most frequent environmental disaster in Malaysia for an average of 40 years from the year 1980 to 2020. Nowadays, social media is one of the best channels for swiftly obtaining news and information. Social media has emerged as the primary provider of information and news for young people during environmental disasters. Besides, it is proved that mobile phones, the internet, and social media have become cultural trends, particularly among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29, generally known as the Millennial generation. Thus, the subjects of interest will be university students since the group age stated is mostly students. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge and attitude on environmental disasters through social media among university students in selected universities in Selangor. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was chosen to determine the knowledge and attitude toward environmental disasters through social media among university students at selected universities in Selangor. The sampling method used to select the selected universities involved in the study was purposive sampling. A set of modified self-administered questionnaires with a close-response format was distributed online. Results and Discussion: From the result, the level of knowledge of both UPM (87.0%) and UNITEN (66.7%) was moderate. Meanwhile, the attitude level of both universities is also moderate; UPM (65.6%) and UNITEN (81.1%). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between UPM and UNITEN in knowledge (p<0.05, p=0.012) and attitude (p<0.05, p=0.029) toward environmental disasters through social media. This might be because most of the university students from UPM are quite diverse compared to UNITEN. Besides, the constancy of attitude and behavior was unaffected by knowledge level. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in knowledge and attitude towards environmental disasters through social media between UPM and UNITEN. Thus, the awareness of the students must be increased through frequent educational programs such as campaigns, workshops, and exhibitions on environmental disasters. Besides, authorities such as the Ministry of Communications and Digital as well as NADMA need to work together to combat the spread of false information by channelling first-hand information directly through social media, especially WhatsApp so that the dissemination of information about environmental disasters on social media is more guaranteed and trustworthy. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Environmental disasters, Social media, University students

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	08 May 2024 03:56
Last Modified:	08 May 2024 03:56
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1688

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