DESIGNING EDUCATION-DRIVEN STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION IN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FACILITIES: EVIDENCE FROM A DISCRETE CHOICE EXPERIMENT

Abstract

While university sports venues meet the needs of teaching and training, they are also key areas of energy consumption and resource waste on campus. Existing research has mostly focused on policy, resource, or technological improvements, with insufficient attention paid to the role of education in sustainable consumption. Addressing this research gap, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of education-driven strategies in promoting sustainable consumption in university sports venues and identify the optimal strategy combination. This study utilizes a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with university sports venue users, ensuring diversity in both participant identity and frequency of use. The sample size is expected to be 200–250 participants, with each participant completing 8–10 sets of scenario-based multiple-choice questions, encompassing five strategies. The questionnaire was generated using an orthogonal design. A mixed logit model was used to estimate the marginal utility and relative importance of each attribute level. Scenario simulations were used to predict the probability of acceptance of different strategy combinations, and differences were compared across different groups. The study estimates that educational information has a significant impact across all strategies, with "social norms reminders" and "operational guidance" performing best in increasing the selection rate of sustainable consumption options. These strategies also exhibit significant synergistic effects when combined with incentive mechanisms. This study attempts to provide low-cost, replicable strategic priority recommendations for university sports management departments, expand the intersection of sports management and sustainable development research, and provide empirical support for the integration of SDG 4 and SDG 12.