A usual description of sustainable development (SD) often comprehends the interrelationship between the environmental, economic and social dimensions. According to international guidelines, such as UNESCO, a holistic perspective of the concept of SD should be used in education integrating environmental, economic and social dimensions. Within research there is a broad agreement to view cognitive and affective domains as equally important to successfully implement education for sustainable development (ESD). This study aims to investigate young peoples´ integrated understanding of the environmental, economic and social dimensions of SD in terms of knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Two comparisons will be done. Firstly there is a cross level comparison between pupils in 6^th and 9^th grade and secondly a comparison between two groups of pupils, where one group is taught according to an ESD approach in their schools and the other group is not (e.g. green-flag certified Eco schools or regular schools). The research design is based on a quantitative approach using a questionnaire consisting of items with Likert-type scales. The questionnaire is developed by considering the dimensions of SD and the aspects of knowledge attitudes and behavior. A pilot study was conducted in December 2012 to test the validity of the questionnaire. During spring 2013 the questionnaire will be distributed to pupils at 6^th-grade level (n=1000) and 9^th-grade level (n=1000). Half of the pupils in the sample are from ESD certificated schools and the other half from regular schools. During the NOFA-conference we hope to present some preliminary results related to the research aims and to discuss the implications these might have to ESD in Sweden.