Assessing the Determinants of Participation in the Circular Plastic Economy by Nigerian Students

Over the last decade, there has been an exponential interest in the circular plastic economy, an innovative paradigm that offers a promising pathway for dealing with the menace of plastic pollution. While the literature is replete with lots of studies in this area, the majority of the extant research is focused on the actual interventions in a wide range of national contexts that are often difficult to compare. Very few studies have addressed the critical subject of building capacity for the circular economy in the global south. The present study addresses this important gap, drawing on qualitative data from five (5) focus groups and twelve (12) semi-structured interviews, triangulated with quantitative data from 151 students across four (4) Nigerian Universities, this study addresses the gap by examining the predictors of students’ participation in the circular plastic economy. The findings, from structural equation modeling of survey data and reflective analysis of interviews, indicate that Nigerian university students are more likely to participate in the circular plastic economy through a high prominence of soft power features such as increased awareness, inspiration, idea generation, encouragement, and capacity building. This underlines the importance of targeted policy interventions and pedagogic innovations to drive awareness and knowledge-building among Nigeria’s youth population.