Diverged Preferences towards Sustainable Development Goals? A Comparison between Academia and the Communication Industry

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Nov 19;16(22):4577. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16224577.

Abstract

To understand how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are involved and cited in different fields, the current study aimed to explore the key SDGs and SDG-pairs from the viewpoints of academia and the media. The academic publications with SDG(s)-related keywords in the Scopus database and the entry videos of the "2018 SDG Lions" were collected and analyzed through content and network analysis. It was found that SDG 3 and SDG 10 shared the highest preferences in both industries, but apparent gaps happened to SDG 5. The tied frequencies of the possible SDG pairs were also examined, and SDG 3-10 was identified taking the lead in both industries. Network analysis using degree centrality as the vital parameter demonstrated that SDG 8 and SDG 5 has strong connections with several SDGs for the academia and the media, respectively. The SDG-2-6-7 combination or "water-energy-food" nexus was also found the most frequent combination of three SDGs in the academia. Overall, SDG 3 can be treated as a unifying theme when seeking to acquire evidence-based knowledge for integrated implementation of the SDGs. Important implications for policy-making of the SDGs were also discussed.

Keywords: academic publications; health and well-being; inequality; sustainable development goals (SDGs); the media industry.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Communications Media / statistics & numerical data*
  • Educational Personnel / psychology*
  • Educational Personnel / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Global Health*
  • Goals*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Sustainable Development*