University of Dayton
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Hanley Sustainability Institute students, faculty and staff developed a combined set of sustainability literacy and culture questions based on survey and sustainability behavior/culture literature and best practices. Working with social science and marketing faculty, the HSI team them prepared the survey tool to administer to the whole campus (faculty, staff, students with approx 10% participation rate) in Feb. 2017. The survey was then re-administered to a subset of the entire population (SEE cohort) in Feb. 2018.

6. Indicate how much you agree with the following statements Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree ● I am willing to put forth a little more effort in my daily life to reduce my environmental impact ● Sustainability is an important priority in my life ● I currently recycle or compost as much as I can ● I walk or bike to places instead of going by car ● I look for sustainability related logos or labels (energy star) when I shop ● I have taken at least one course/class on sustainability ● I talk to my friends about sustainability and related issues ● I try to avoid purchasing goods from companies with poor track records on sustainability related issues ● I have changed my personal lifestyle to reduce waste ● I volunteer at places related to sustainability ● I try to find fact-based information about climate change and global warming ● I try to find substitutes for non-Green products and services. 7. Indicate how much you agree with the following statements Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree ● I am willing to pay more for Green products ● I am willing to pay more for local produce to support my community ● I am willing to pay more to live in an eco-efficient house ● I am willing to accept the depletion of global resources in order to gain what I want now ● I am willing to accept the possible extinction of a species in order to continue my lifestyle as it is now ● I am willing to accept the effects that over consumption have on the earth in order to not change my lifestyle Barriers towards being sustainable 8. Indicate how much you agree with the following statements Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree ● It is more costly to live in a sustainable way ● I don’t know enough about sustainability to live accordingly ● I don’t know what a “green product” is ● There is no point in me being sustainable when everyone else is not ● I don’t have enough incentives to be sustainable 9. How much do you know about UD’s Hanley Sustainability Institute and its initiatives? a. Nothing at all (Never heard of it) b. Very Little (Heard of it) c. Little (kind of know purpose) d. Some (Understand purpose) e. A lot (Know mission, Attend events) 10. Indicate how much you agree with the following statements Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree ● UD demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability ● Every student on campus should be educated about sustainability ● Teaching sustainability principles should be integrated into the curriculum in all disciplines at UD ● As a catholic Marianist university, UD should prioritize sustainability more compared to other universities

In Feb. 2017 we contacted the entire campus community via email and set a target to reach 10% of faculty, staff and students. As part of the survey we included question collecting demographic data to ensure the responses included a representative sample of the entire campus demographics. We received 989 responses of which 91% were students (which is approximately 10% of our student population). Of the responses received, 40% were affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences, 23% from the School of Engineering, 17% from the School of Business, 12% from the School of Education and Health Sciences, and the rest from Other. In Feb. 2018 we followed up with a subset cohort (SEE minors) with demographic data collected allowing us to confirm participants that completed both surveys.

Participants appear to be willing to do the “basic” sustainability behaviors like recycling. Behaviors that require a lifestyle change or spending more money are not favored. Participants are willing to spend more on green/ local products, but do not appear to be doing so. UD needs to better demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Participants believe everyone should be educated about sustainability, however not as strong of a belief that it should be incorporated into all disciplines. Participants do not recognize connection between sustainability and Marianist values. *We intend to re-administer the survey at least once a year to track changes over time.