Marketing sustainability : a study on fostering sustainable change in Gozo

Abstract

During the past couple of decades, the importance of sustainable measures and products has increased considerably. Changing people’s attitudes towards sustainable development remains a challenge as the world keeps getting deprived of its natural resources at an alarming rate. In 2008, the Government of Malta decided to embark on a vision to turn Gozo into an eco-island. This vision seeks to help Gozo and its people develop and prosper through development that is sustainable. Since its inception, the ecoGozo vision oversaw several campaigns aimed at changing Gozitans’ attitudes and behaviour towards sustainability. The present study seeks to determine whether these campaigns have had an impact on Gozitans’ awareness about sustainability issues and their attitude towards sustainable development. Additionally, through the reviewed literature, suggestions will be drawn on how to render future ecoGozo campaigns more effective. For this study, a survey was designed and made available online. The same survey was also disseminated among a select number of people to be hand-filled. In total, 413 Gozitans answered to the items in this data collection instrument. The questionnaire used incorporated information from the ecoGozo action plan and Hierarchy of Effects model. The data recorded was investigated using factor, regression and correlation analysis. The general findings in this study are the there exists a moderate positive relationship between knowledge about ecoGozo and awareness about sustainability issues. More importantly, this study establishes that there is a weak positive relationship between knowledge about ecoGozo and Gozitan’s attitude towards sustainable development. The weaker relationship experienced in the latter proves that, according to the reviewed literature, ecoGozo campaign planners may not be using the discipline of social marketing to its full effects. The study shows Gozitans who have a certain level of knowledge about ecoGozo campaigns have a better chance of being aware about sustainability issues and tend to have a slightly better attitude towards sustainable development. This means that ecoGozo has had a positive effect on Gozitans.