CAMPUS

ENVIRONMENTAL

SURVEY

Students in the Spring 2010 POL201 course

Professor Owens

ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY

A project of the Professor Owens’

POL201 Research Methods class.

Spring 2010, University of Hartford

MEASURING

Environmental attitudes

Environmental behaviors

Information-levels

METHODS

Created a 49 question survey:

18 questions on behavior

10 questions on attitudes

10 questions on information levels,

and

6 general questions on demographics

Students were asked 5 additional

demographic questions

DEMOGRAPHICS

AGES OF THE SURVEY

POPULATION

18-22

23-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-64

65 or older

CATEGORIES OF

RESPONDENTS

Staff

Student

Faculty

GENDER OF THE POPULATION

Male

Female

STUDENTS ONLY: WHAT COLLEGE ARE YOU

ENROLLED IN?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

STUDENTS ONLY: WHAT IS YOUR CLASS

LEVEL?

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

STUDENTS ONLY: ARE YOU A FULL OR

PART-TIME STUDENT

Full time

Part-time

STUDENTS ONLY: WHAT REGION OF THE

COUNTRY ARE YOU FROM?

Northeast

Southeast

Midwest

Southwest

Northwest

I am not from the

United States

STUDENTS ONLY: WHERE DO YOU LIVE

WHILE IN SCHOOL?

On campus

Off-campus

with friends

Off-campus

with family

INFORMATION

INFORMATION: WHAT IS BETTER FOR

THE ENVIRONMENT?

Wash dishes by hand

40.89 %

Wash dishes in a

dishwasher 44.13 %

I do not know 14.98 %

INFORMATION: ARE YOUR FAMILIAR

WITH THE TERM CARBON FOOTPRINT?

Yes

No

90.36%

9.64%

INFORMATION: FROM THE LIST OF ENERGY

SOURCES BELOW, PLEASE MARK ALL THAT YOU

BELIEVE ARE RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS:

0 50 100 150 200 250

Petroleum

Wind

Nuclear

Coal

Solar

Geothermal

Natural Gas

Propane

Hydropower

INFORMATION: ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE?

Yes

No

50.4%

49.6%

INFORMATION: ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH

THE TERM PHANTOM ENERGY (ALSO

CALLED PHANTOM LOAD, IDLE CURRENT,

AND VAMPIRE POWER)?

Yes 42.74 %

No 57.26 %

INFORMATION: WHAT KIND OF LIGHT BULB

USES LESS ENERGY?

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

15.45 %

65.85 %

18.70 %

An

inca

nd

esc

en

t bu

lb

A

com

pact

flu

ore

sce

nt

bu

lb

I d

o n

ot

kn

ow

Yes

No

INFORMATION: DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE A CLEAR

UNDERSTANDING OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

INFORMATION: DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE A

CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF SUSTAINABILITY?

Yes 57.32 %

No 42.68 %

INFORMATION: CONSIDERING RECYCLING

LOCATIONS ON CAMPUS, PLEASE MARK ALL THAT

APPLY. PLEASE NOTE: FOR EACH RESPONSE, IT IS NOT NECESSARY THAT

YOU RECYCLE, ONLY THAT YOU KNOW THE LOCATION.

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Paper Plastics Glass

ATTITUDES

ATTITUDE

0

50

100

150

200

250

agree

neither agree

nor disagree

disagree

ATTITUDE: RANK WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS THE

IMPORTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING STATE-LEVEL

POLICY ISSUES. WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND

FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST IMPORTANT.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1 2 3 4 5

health care

the state budget

education

environment

the economy

ATTITUDE: ENVIRONMENT RANKING ALONE

(STATE)WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND

FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST IMPORTANT.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

ATTITUDE: ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

COMPARISON (STATE)WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND

FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST IMPORTANT.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1 2 3 4 5

environment

the economy

RANK WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS THE IMPORTANCE

OF THE FOLLOWING NATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY

ISSUES. WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST

IMPORTANT, AND FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST

IMPORTANT.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 2 3 4 5

health care

national defense

education

environment

the economy

ATTITUDE: ENVIRONMENT RANKING ALONE

(NATIONAL)WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND

FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST IMPORTANT.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1 2 3 4 5

ATTITUDE: ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

COMPARISON (NATIONAL)WITH 1 BEING THE ISSUE YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT, AND

FIVE BEING THE ISSUE YOU FIND LEAST IMPORTANT.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 2 3 4 5

environment

the economy

BEHAVIOR

BEHAVIOR: DO YOU MAKE EFFORTS TO REDUCE

THE AMOUNT OF PAPER YOU USE AT THE

UNIVERSITY?

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: HOW OFTEN DO YOU DRINK

BOTTLED WATER?

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%

Never

Occasionally

Almost Always

Always

BEHAVIOR: DO YOU KEEP THE WATER

RUNNING WHEN BRUSHING YOUR TEETH?

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: WHAT IS THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF

TIME YOU SPEND IN THE SHOWER?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

1-10 minutes 11-20

minutes

21+ minutes

BEHAVIOR: IF APPLICABLE, DO YOU DISPOSE OF

CIGARETTE BUTTS BY THROWING THEM ON THE

GROUND?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Yes No I do not smoke

BEHAVIOR: DO YOU DISPOSE OF CIGARETTE BUTTS

BY THROWING THEM ON THE GROUND? (AMONG

ADMITTED SMOKERS)

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: GENERALLY SPEAKING, DO YOU

RECYCLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD?

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: HOW OFTEN DO YOU BUY

FOODS THAT ARE LOCALLY GROWN?

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%

Never

Occasionally

Almost Always

Always

BEHAVIOR: HOW OFTEN DO YOU BUY

FOODS THAT ARE CERTIFIED ORGANIC?

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%

Never

Occasionally

Almost Always

Always

BEHAVIOR: DO YOU GROW FOOD TO EAT?

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: IF APPLICABLE, WHAT TYPE OF

CAR DO YOU DRIVE? MARK ALL THAT APPLY

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

I drive a hybrid vehicle

I drive an SUV

I drive a station wagon, van, or

minivan

I drive a full-size sedan

I drive a mid-size sedan

I drive a compact car

I do not drive

I am a student who did not bring a

car to the University

BEHAVIOR: GENERALLY SPEAKING, HOW DO

YOU COMMUTE TO THE UNIVERSITY?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

BEHAVIOR: IF YOU COMMUTE, ON AVERAGE HOW

MANY DAYS A WEEK DO YOU COMMUTE TO THE

UNIVERSITY?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

1 day 2

days

3

days

4

days

5

days

6

days

7

days

BEHAVIOR: APPROXIMATELY HOW LONG IS YOUR

DAILY COMMUTE TO CAMPUS (ROUND TRIP)?

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

Less than 10 miles

11-30 miles

31- 60 miles

61-100 miles

Greater than 100 miles

I live on campus

BEHAVIOR: MARK ALL THAT APPLY

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

I would like to use

public transportation,

but the schedule does

not fit my needs

I would like to use

public transportation,

but the route does not

fit my needs

I am not interested in

using public

transportation

I use public

transportation to

commute

BEHAVIOR: IF APPLICABLE, DO YOU LEAVE

YOUR MOBILE PHONE CHARGER PLUGGED IN

WHEN IT IS NOT IN USE?

Yes

No

Not applicable

BEHAVIOR: GENERALLY SPEAKING, DO YOU

LEAVE YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER ON

OVERNIGHT?

Yes

No

Not applicable

BEHAVIOR: GENERALLY SPEAKING, DO YOU

TURN OFF THE LIGHT WHEN LEAVING A

ROOM?

Yes

No

BEHAVIOR: HAVE YOU INSTALLED COMPACT

FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS IN YOUR HOME

OR DORM ROOM?

Yes

No

MEAN SCORES BY SUBGROUPS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

students

faculty

staff

RESULTS

Faculty/staff compared to students

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

attitude information behavior

fac/staff

students

ANALYSIS

Many people are informed about sustainability issues.

Both populations have comparable scores for attitudes.

Behavior shows the most marked difference

ANALYSIS

Are the means different in a

statistically significant way?

Information

p-value of (0.00000205)

Attitude

p-value of (0.018)

Behavior

p-value of (0.0000000012)

CONCLUSIONS

Our students are well-informed, but may not

practice environmental behaviors.

The environment must compete with various

issues of importance to students.