dividual’s well-being has on influencing behaviour. According to Baldassare and Katz (1992) the threat to an individual’s well-being is the biggest influencer on people’s behaviour, and especially among students; overriding many of the other factors discussed above. These findings have been further reinforced by studies conducted by Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera (1987) emphasising the positive relationship between environmental concern and environmental behaviour. The study also concluded the difference between the younger and older generations. While the older age groups were most associated with their overall environmental practices, younger generations were more associated with behaviour relevant to environmental threat, and is something therefore to take into account when looking at methods to target young students. Given the huge scale of environmental issues worldwide it wouldn’t come as a huge shock that individuals may feel their recycling efforts wouldn’t have a significant impact whatsoever. This idea was highlighted by Hooper and Nielsen (1991) who researched the extend to which a behaviour will have a tangible impact. They, too little surprise, found that individuals that thought their actions were making an impact were more likely to act environmentally. The idea therefore that individuals need to feel personally responsible and feel that they are playing a part in helping the environment will play a significant role in future policy making (Maibach, 1993).

2.4 Contribution to the literature

Overall, as can be seen from the above review there has been a plethora of research done into what drives human behaviour and what drives it within an environmental context. The literature however, has a very broad sphere of subject that it addresses and when that comes down to selecting effective and appropriate policies to help change a demographics behaviour, it may not be completely helpful. By isolating the three main behaviour groups as identified in Barr’s (2007) framework this paper will aim to provide a more specific set of data to allow a greater understanding to what influences and how to change the student demographics behaviour.