Sustainable development Universities—Opportunities & challenges on the road to society 5.0 from the key stakeholder perspective

Abstract

There has been a growing push on universities worldwide to demonstrate how their work contributes to the indicators of sustainable development goals. In addition to producing a foundation of human resources to assist the change toward greater sustainability, universities may have a significant influence on individual behaviour. The article’s goal is to highlight the potential and difficulties that the surveyed universities face as they work to construct a 5.0 society and pursue sustainable development. It does this by analysing students’ perspectives from these universities in ten different nations. A Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) questionnaire was used for the study. The hypotheses about the relationship between the university’s legal status and form of ownership and the level of students’ awareness of sustainable development were verified. The findings indicated that by promoting sustainable development, the universities under investigation had the opportunity to garner interest and involve students. Nevertheless, this calls for funding, better educational initiatives, and a well-rounded strategy. Furthermore, encouraging a sustainable culture within the university ecosystem and openly sharing these efforts with students and the general public will make universities more visible, respected, and driven, boosting involvement and engagement in sustainability initiatives on campus.