University of Idaho
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

The 2023 University of Idaho (UI) Sustainability Culture Survey was developed by doctoral candidate Madison Dougherty, Sustainability Director Dr. Sarah Dawson, and Sustainability Manager Olivia Wiebe. The primary measure to assess sustainability culture is the Revised Environmental Identity Scale (EID-R) by Clayton et al., 2021, which measures environmental behavior, concern, and connectedness. We are using the 14-question EID-R to gain a better understanding of the environmental identity of our student population. To avoid cognitive overload, we are using a 5-point scale format instead of the original 7-point scale of the EID-R. In addition to the EID-R to measure the sustainability culture of our campus, we also have questions that address environmental education, commuter behaviors, and general sustainable behaviors in relation to energy, water, waste, food, and engagement. The questionnaire was reviewed and approved for distribution by the Director of Institutional Research within the Office of the Provost & Executive Vice President.

The UI Sustainability Culture Survey will be sent to all students, undergraduate and graduate, and all UI employees, faculty and staff, annually each fall semester. The fall semester of 2023 was the first time this updated version of our sustainability culture survey was sent out. We intend to longitudinally measure changes in sustainability culture with annual data collection.

Sample of Cultural Assessment Questions (Employees and Students)

How sustainable do you think you are?
-I have a lot of room for improvement
-I do some things when I can, but don’t make a full effort
-I am sustainable when it is convenient
-I make a point to act sustainably in many aspects of my -life
-I am doing all that I can to be sustainable

Please rank these barriers to you participating in sustainability efforts at the University of Idaho. If you do not perceive any barrier, move "I do not perceive any barriers to acting sustainably" to the top of your rankings.
-I do not have enough time
-I do not know what to do
-I do not feel sustainability is encouraged by UI
-I do not feel my behavior will make a difference
-Sustainability is not a high priority for me
-I do not perceive any barriers to acting sustainably

Please indicate whether you would engage in the following activities.
-I would educate myself about environmental issues.
-I would take classes on environmental issues.
-I would sign a petition about an environmental issue.
-I would talk to others about environmental issues.
-I would contact a politician or government official about environmental issues.
-I would engage with an environmental organization (group or club).
-I would make efforts to minimize how much energy I use at my residence, such as turning off lights when I leave the room, unplugging appliances when not in use, or use fans or open windows instead of air conditioning.
-I would buy environmentally friendly products.
-I would make efforts to conserve how much water I use at my residence, such as only washing full loads of laundry or dishes or taking shorter showers.
-I would take alternative transportation when possible, such as biking, walking or public transit.
-I would compost my food waste.
-I would eat locally grown or organic food.
-I would minimize my consumption of meat, dairy, and other animal products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air and water pollution.
-I would use a reusable bottle, cup, or mug.
-I would make efforts to minimize the amount of waste I generate, such as buying package-free produce at the grocery store.
-I would recycle my recyclable waste.

Please indicate the extent to which each of the following statements describes you.
-I like to spend time outdoors in natural settings (such as woods, mountains, rivers, fields, local parks, lake or beach, or a leafy yard or garden)
-I think of myself as a part of nature, not separate from it.
-If I had enough resources such as time or money, I would spend some of them to protect the natural environment.
-When I am upset or stressed, I can feel better by spending some time outdoors surrounded by nature.
-I feel that I have a lot in common with wild animals.
-Behaving responsibly toward nature -- living a sustainable lifestyle -- is important to who I am.
-Learning about the natural world should be part of everyone's upbringing.
-If I could choose, I would prefer to live where I can have a view of the natural environment, such as trees or fields.
-An important part of my life would be missing if I was not able to get outside and enjoy nature from time to time.
-I think elements of the natural world are more beautiful than any work of art.
-I feel refreshed when I spend time in nature.
-I consider myself a steward of our natural resources.
-I feel comfortable out in nature.
-I enjoy encountering elements of nature, like trees or grass, even when I am in a city setting.

How often do you use the follow transportation modes?
-Single-occupancy vehicle (only you driving a private vehicle)
-Zero-emissions vehicle
-Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode
-Van or carpool (multiple people sharing a private vehicle)
-Public transport or campus shuttle (SMART Transit)
-Motorized scooter/bike or moped (includes e-bike)

We distributed the survey to the entire UI community by email. An invitation was sent out by University Communications and Marketing in September 2023 to all students, and a separate email was sent to employees. Respondents were incentivized by getting the opportunity to enter themselves into a raffle for a $50 gift card. The response rate was 5.3% for students (N=484) and 15.4% for employees (N=356). Total response rate for the survey was 7.3% (N=840).

Cultural Assessment Key Findings:

78% of employees and 70% of students agree that sustainability is important to them.

51% of employees and 34% of students make a point to act sustainably or are doing all they can to be sustainable.

79% of employees and 76% of students agreed that they would educate themselves about environmental issues.

The average score for environmental identity for employees was 61.25 out of 70. The average score for environmental identity for students was 58.38 out of 70. These results suggest our campus population has a strong connection to the environment and show concern for its health and protection. The average scores for sustainability behaviors and sustainability values were similarly high:

employee behavior average score: 39.98/48
employee values average score: 12.02/15

student behavior average score: 38.75/48
student values average score: 11.58/15

Survey Creation: Madison Dougherty, doctoral candidate, Environmental Science Department; Dr. Sarah Dawson, Sustainability Director; Olivia Wiebe, Sustainability Manager

Survey Source: Clayton, S., Czellar, S., Nartova-Bochaver, S., Skibins, J. C., Salazar, G., Tseng, Y. C., et al. (2021). Cross-cultural validation of a revised environmental identity scale. Sustainability, 13(4), 2387. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042387

Survey Distribution: Sarah Dawson, Sustainability Director, and Jodi Walker, Director of Communications