American University of Sharjah
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Sustainability Literacy Sustainability Literacy: This section will ask general sustainability questions. Researchers will use this data to measure sustainability knowledge within the AUS Community over time. It is not expected that everyone will know the answers to these questions, please make your best educated guess without using any outside resources.

Q1: Which one of the following dimensions is NOT included in the most widely used concept of sustainability?

• Economy

• Society

• Environment

• Democracy

• I am not sure

Q2: Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of sustainable development?

• Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

• Creating a government welfare system that ensures universal access to education, health care, and social services.

• Setting aside resources for preservation, never to be used.

• Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse.

• I am not sure

Q3: Which of the following statements about greenhouse gases is TRUE?

• Greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to escape from the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Greenhouse gases help cool the Earth.

• Methane is the most prevalent greenhouse gas.

• Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas.

• I am not sure

Q4: Many economists argue that electricity prices in many countries are too low because:

• Electric companies have a monopoly in their service area.

• Too many suppliers go out of business.

• Consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy.

• They do not reflect the cost of pollution and other social effects from generating the electricity.

• I am not sure

Q5: The entrée with the highest carbon footprint is a: 

• Salmon Fillet

• Rice and Lentils

• Beef Steak

• Chicken Wings

• I am not sure

Q6: True or false? Environmental Justice is an effort to more fairly distribute both environmental burdens such as polluting and toxic industries and environmental benefits such as clean water and air.

• True

• False

• I am not sure

The questions were drawn from other university sustainability literacy questions, found on the AASHE community. There were similar questions used by numerous universities, creating a standard and potential for future research. We also collaborated with a research methods class to have them review the survey and revise it to streamline the questions and potentially eliminate unnecessary questions.

Historically, AUS has administered a single yearly sustainability survey and used it to compare results year over year. This approach allowed for comparisons based on demographic data, such as age, across the surveys and comparing these to potential increased sustainability literacy. However, due to our desire for more specific data around the work of the sustainability office in a given time frame, we have adopted a pre- and post- assessment approach.

This "pre and post" assessment survey allows for more immediate evaluation of sustainability initiatives within a given timeframe. In our case, we are seeking to evaluate how our climate-literacy-focused campus engagement in the lead up to COP28 has impacted students who entered the university during the academic year 22/23. The pre-assessment survey was administered in March 2023. The post-assessment survey is scheduled to be distributed in October 2024. Our post-assessment will specifically focus on students who are now in their third year at AUS.

Both pre- and post- surveys are supported by Qualtrics Survey Software. The surveys are administered to the enrire AUS community, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and non-academic employees.

The annual sustainability literacy survey findings show that the definition and concept of sustainability are well understood by the AUS community, with around 75% of respondents able to correctly define the concept of sustainability and sustainable development. We are finding that the community is less knowledgeable with regards to climate literacy, with only around 55% of respondents able to correctly identify the most prevalent greenhouse gas and the entree with the highest carbon footprint. The AUS community seems to have a fair understanding of the relationship between environmental issues and socioeconomic issues, with about 60% of respondents able to define the concept of environmental justice and the externalities of electricity generation.

There is no data available yet to specifically identify trends or changes within the same cohort of students (e.g. sustainability and climate literacy of freshmen vs juniors) as the post-assessment survey is scheduled to be distributed in October 2024. Through this pre- and post- assessment, we seek to evaluate the efficacy of our campus engagement programs and identify potential relationships between student demographics and efficacy of our outreach programs on campus.