Publications : Fall 1999 Student Survey
University
of Colorado
Fall 1999 Student Environmental Survey
Executive Summary
In
November 1999 the UCSU Environmental Center contracted Aspen Research
Associates to conduct a phone survey of 126 randomly chosen, full-time
CU-Boulder students to gauge the current level of environmental concern
at the university. The results revealed that the majority of students
surveyed are in favor of campus environmental action and would like to
see more steps taken for CU to become a national leader in campus environmental
policy. Specifically, students believe that the university should begin
using wind-generated power and add to the current recycling program, even
if it costs additional money. Students would also like to see the university
make an effort to use recycled or tree-free paper, an emphasis on energy
efficiency over new power generation, a ban of chemical pesticides used
on campus lawns, and improvements in residence halls recycling.
Of the students surveyed, 92 percent believed that it
is either very important or somewhat important that CU-Boulder is a leader
in campus environmental management, while only 7 percent of those questioned
said that environmental leadership is not at all important. One way that
CU has already taken a major environmental leadership role is recycling.
Almost 40 percent of students surveyed said that recycling on campus is
very convenient, while slightly over half of the students surveyed said
that recycling is somewhat convenient, and a mere 7 percent of students
rated CU’s recycling facilities not convenient. From the November
survey, it is also estimated that 57 percent of students would be willing
to pay $2.00 or more in student fees to improve campus recycling programs
(interestingly, 42 percent of the students surveyed said they’d be
willing to pay $5.00 or more in fees to improve the facilities). Another
14 percent of students surveyed said they’d be willing to pay between
$0.50 and $2.00 to improve campus recycling, while 14 percent of students
revealed that they were unwilling to pay over $0.50.
When asked about campus paper use, nearly half of the
respondents believe it is very important that CU uses 100 percent recycled
or tree-free paper. Another 45 percent of students responded that it was
somewhat important, and only 6 percent said that it was not important
for the university to use recycled or tree-free paper. When asked about
using paper in campus computing labs, students were almost evenly divided
as to whether or not they support paying for printouts. The survey shows
that 34 percent of students strongly support a pay-as-you-print system
instead of paying for the copies as part of student fees, 35 percent of
students would somewhat support such a system and 29 percent of those
surveyed said that they wouldn’t support it at all. If such a system
were enacted, it may encourage students to use less paper in computing
labs.
On the topic of lawn management, students were asked
if they would support organic lawn management, even if meant more dandelions.
A full 84 percent of those surveyed said that they would rather have dandelions.
Only 13 percent said that the university should continue to use chemical
pesticides on campus lawns.
Students overwhelmingly support the purchase of wind-generated
power in UCSU-run buildings, even if it means an increase in student fees.
By more than a two to one margin, respondents said they would support
a fee increase of $1.00 or more (60 percent in support of and 28 percent
against paying more than $1.00 extra), and half of those surveyed said
that they would pay an extra $3.00 or more for clean energy. Some 88 percent
of those surveyed said CU should invest in energy efficiency throughout
campus to delay the possible need for a new power plant, while just 6
percent of respondents said that the university should construct a new
power plant rather than invest in energy efficiency.
The survey sample was a random sample generated by the
University of Colorado Registrars Office. The survey has a margin of error
of +/- 8.7 percent.
More Survey
Results:
- The materials most commonly recycled by CU students are newspapers
and aluminum cans.
- The least-recycled items are cardboard and junk mail.
- percent of students surveyed throw away materials when outside that
they would normally recycle if they were inside.
- 80 percent of students surveyed said they would be very likely to
recycle if there were recycling bins next to outdoor trashcans.
- 87 percent of those who lived in the residence halls said they would
recycle more if recycling containers were located on their floors, rather
than on the loading docks.
Survey
Demographics and Details:
- The survey was conducted of 126 randomly chosen students during November
1999 by Aspen Research Associates.
- 55 of the students surveyed were freshmen (43.7 percent).
- 23 of the students surveyed were sophomores (18.3 percent).
- 17 of the students surveyed were juniors (13.5 percent).
- 24.6 of the students surveyed were freshmen (24.6 percent).
- This was a scientific survey, conducted by Aspen Research Associates
and paid for by the UCSU Environmental Center. The margin of error is
+/- 8.5 percent.
Click
on a link below to view the questions posed in the survey, along with
graphs and explanations to show the information gathered.
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CU
Students want the university to be a leader in campus environmental management.
Question: CU has been a leader in
some environmental areas, such as recycling and the student bus program.
How important is it to you for CU to be a leader in campus environmental
management?
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Students
are fairly satisfied with the CU recycling program–one of the best
in the country.
Question: Do you feel that recycling
on our campus is: very convenient, somewhat convenient, or not convenient
at all?
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Students
are less satisfied with the recycling offered in the residence halls than
the rest of campus.
Question: Do you feel that recycling
in the dorms is: very convenient, somewhat convenient, or not convenient
at all?
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The
majority of CU students would be willing to add $2.00 or more to their
student fees to improve recycling programs on campus.
Question: How much would you be willing
to pay in student fees to improve the recycling program on campus?
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The
November 1999 survey revealed that CU students are concerned with the
amount of paper use on campus.
Question: CU consumes over 500 tons
of paper every year. How important is it for CU to use 100 percent recycled
or tree-free paper?
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Students
are divided on whether there should be a charge for computer-lab printouts–which
could, in turn, reduce paper use.
Question: currently, your computing fee
covers the cost of printing at campus computer labs. Some universities
have moved the cost of printing to a user fee, which is charged to each
students’ account. This means the people who use less would pay less,
and the people who use more would pay more. Would you: strongly support,
somewhat support of would not support a similar plan at CU?
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Students
overwhelmingly support the organic management of campus lawns, even if
this means there would be more dandelions.
Question: If campus lawns were managed
organically, without the use of pesticides, some people think there would
be more dandelions. Would you support organic lawn management even if
it meant more dandelions?
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CU
students support purchasing wind-generated electricity, even if it requires
a fee increase of $1.00 or more, by a 2-to-1 margin.
Question: Energy for heating and cooling
campus buildings, and for providing electricity to campus, currently comes
from burning fossil fuels. CU could purchase electricity generated by
wind turbines. This would conserve fossil fuels and reduce emissions of
carbon dioxide into the air, but would also cost more. Student fees pay
for the power used by Wardenburg, the UMC, and the Recreation Center.
How much more would you be willing to pay in student fees per semester
in order to purchase wind generated electricity for these buildings?
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CU students
overwhelmingly support investing in energy-efficiency rather than a new
power plant.
Question: CU’s energy use is
growing by about 5 percent each year. This growth will eventually outstrip
the capacity of the university power plant. A strong energy efficiency
program could put off or even prevent the need to build a new power plant.
Would you rather see CU invest in energy efficiency or in building a new
power plant?
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Of
all the campus environmental issues, students feel that improving the
recycling program, energy conservation and reducing waste are the most
important.
