University of Notre Dame
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Sustainability Literacy Assessment

Start of Block: Demographic Questions

Q1 I live
o On Campus
o Off Campus
o Prefer not to answer

Q3 What is your gender?
o Female
o Male
o Non-binary
o Prefer not to answer

Q37 What is your ethnicity?
o White
o Hispanic or Latino
o Black or African American
o American Indian or Alaska Native
o Asian
o Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
o Other

Q4 The high-school I attended was
o Public
o Private (Catholic)
o Private (other-religious)
o Private (non-religious)
o Home-schooled

Q35 Before attending University of Notre Dame I resided in
o the United States
o Elsewhere

Q36 Within the United States I resided in
o The Northeast
o The Midwest
o The South
o The West

End of Block: Demographic Questions

Start of Block: Behavioral Questions

Q5 Does the University of Notre Dame have a sustainability strategy?
o Yes
o No
o Don't know

Q6 Does the University of Notre Dame have an undergraduate minor in sustainability and energy studies?
o Yes
o No
o Don't know

Q7 Remembering to turn the light off when leaving the room is easy
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q8 Turning off the lights when leaving the room saves money
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q9 It is important to turn the lights off when leaving the room
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q10 There are vegetarian options available to me on campus
o Strongly Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Strongly agree

Q11 Eating vegetarian meals is important for sustainability
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q12 Eating vegetarian meals is good for my health
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q13 I know which materials can/cannot be recycled
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q14 I know how to recycle on campus
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q15 It is important to recycle

o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q16 It is important to reduce plastic waste
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q17 Reusable water refill stations are conveniently located on campus
o Strongly Disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q18 I like the taste of water from water fountains/ refill stations
o Like a great deal
o Like a moderate amount
o Like a little
o Neither like nor dislike
o Dislike a little
o Dislike a moderate amount
o Dislike a great deal

End of Block: Behavioral Questions

Start of Block: Knowledge of Sustainable Principles

Q19 What is the most common cause of pollution in streams/rivers?
o Dumping of garbage by cities
o Surface water running off yards, city streets, paved lots, and farm fields
o Litter near streams and rivers
o Waste dumped by factories
o Don't know

Q20 Ozone forms a protective layer in the Earth's upper atmosphere. What does ozone protect us from?
o Acid rain
o Climate change
o Sudden changes in temperature
o Harmful UV rays
o Don't know

Q21 What is the primary benefit of wetlands?
o Promote flooding
o Clean the water before it enters lakes, streams, rivers or oceans
o Keep the number of undesirable plants and animals low
o Provide good sites for landfills
o Don't know

Q22 Which of the following is an example of sustainable forest management?
o Setting aside forests to be off-limits to the public
o Never harvesting more than what the forest produces in new growth
o Producing lumber for nearby communities to build affordable housing
o Putting the local communities in charge of forest resources
o Don't know

Q23 In the U.S., what do we currently do with the nuclear waste generated by nuclear power plants?
o Use it as nuclear fuel
o Sell it to other countries
o Store and monitor the waste
o Don't know

Q24 Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of sustainable development?
o Creating a government welfare system that ensures universal access to education, healthcare and social services
o Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
o Setting aside resources for preservation, never to be used
o Building a neighborhood that is both socio-demographically and economically diverse
o Don't know

Q25 Which of the following areas has the highest rate of population growth?
o North America
o Europe
o China
o Africa
o Don't know

Q26 Which of the following countries has now surpassed the U.S. as the biggest emitter of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide?
o China
o Sweden
o Brazil
o Japan
o Don't know

Q27 Many economists argue that electricity prices in the U.S. are too low because:
o They do not reflect the costs of pollution from generating electricity
o Too many suppliers go out of business
o Electric companies have a monopoly in their own service area
o Consumers spend only a small part of their income on energy
o Don't know

Q28 Which of the following is a leading cause of the depletion of fish stocks in the Atlantic Ocean?
o Fishermen seeking to maximize their catch
o Reduced fish fertility due to genetic hybridization
o Ocean pollution
o Global climate change
o Don't know

Q29 Which of the following is the most commonly used definition of economic sustainability?
o Maximizing the share price of a company's stock
o Long-term profitability
o When costs equal revenue
o Continually expanding market share
o Don't know

Q30 Which of the following is the primary reason that gasoline prices have risen over the past several decades in the U.S.?
o Growing percentage of gas stations owned by large corporations
o Increasing oil discoveries overseas
o Higher rates of state and federal gasoline tax
o Increasing global demand for oil
o Don't know

Q31 Climate change is real
o Strongly disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q33 Climate change is caused by humans
o Strongly disagree
o Disagree
o Somewhat disagree
o Neither agree nor disagree
o Somewhat agree
o Agree
o Strongly agree

Q32 What are the three pillars of sustainability
o Society, Economy, Environment
o Land, Air, and Water
o Corporations, People, Government
o Don't know

Q34 Do you have any other ideas for what Notre Dame should be focusing on re: Sustainability
________________________________________________________________

End of Block: Knowledge of Sustainable Principles

The literacy assessment was developed in partnership with other higher education institutions in Indiana in order to compare answers across institutions. The University of Notre Dame adapted questions and added some specific questions to our campus community.

A representative sample was achieved by sending the literacy assessment to all first-year students. This will be an element of our first-year curriculum which all students will be expected to complete.

The results of the literacy assessment indicate that a majority of our students have a basic understanding of the core sustainability principles and practices, but that specific content knowledge varies across this population and is therefore indicative that further first-year education is warranted.