Abstract

University social responsibility (USR), environmental education, and sustainability are linked and, at the same time, evidently promoted through policies that consider the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This invites to modify institutional practices; likewise, it leads to the transformation of the behavior of all the actors that integrate the educational communities. The objective of this research is to explain the influence of students' perception of the social responsibilities of universities of Talca from the perspective of the SDGs through Empathy and Solidarity as an articulator of USR policies. A structural equation model is developed to explain the causal relationships according to the theoretical hypotheses. It can be pointed out that Empathy and Solidarity have a strong and positive influence on Respect and Dignity, while Respect and Dignity have a weak and positive influence on Freedom and Citizenship. Future research should consider the incorporation of contrast variables, in addition to the inferential exploration according to the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. In this way, we contribute to the design of policies that promote training in the values that support USR and environmental education.