SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND THE ROLE OF ACADEMICA: A CASE STUDY OF LAHORE

Abstract

University students are a key constituency for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Digital campaigns offered through social media, university websites, and online activism are a low-cost, scalable way to reach this demographic, but the research is mostly from high-income, Western settings. Digital initiatives' effects on student awareness, participation, and motivation in resource-constrained, culturally diverse countries like Pakistan remain unknown. Digital campaigns and university students' SDG engagement in Lahore, Pakistan, are examined in this study to determine the moderating effects of digital access, trust, and cultural relevance. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 443 undergraduate students at two public and two private universities. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), estimated in SmartPLS 4, was used to test twelve hypotheses from an integrated theoretical framework combining the Diffusion of Innovations theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, Triple Bottom Line perspective, and Systems Thinking. The findings apply digital-communication and sustainability-education theory to developing countries and provide policymakers, university administrators, and campaign designers with practical advice on how to increase youth SDG engagement.