More than 20,000 University of Michigan students and 7,000 faculty and staff members across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses will be surveyed about sustainability and carbon neutrality in October as part of an ongoing initiative.
MORE INFORMATION
- Learn more about sustainability at U-M
- View results from past surveys
- Email questions to John Callewaert at [email protected], or Robert Marans at [email protected]
The survey is part of the Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program, which launched in 2012, and will be the sixth in the series. SCIP is the most comprehensive program of its kind in the world.
The survey’s principal investigators are John Callewaert, director of strategic projects for the College of Engineering, and research investigator at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research; and Robert W. Marans, research professor at the Institute for Social Research, and professor emeritus in the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
The majority of the funding for SCIP is provided by the Office of the Provost, with additional funding from the Graham Sustainability Institute and the Institute for Social Research.
“The purpose of the survey is to better understand what U-M students, faculty and staff members know and think about sustainability and carbon neutrality, and what their actions are on a daily basis,” Marans said.
“Because sustainability is such a multi-faceted issue, the survey questions mirror that complexity and cover a wide range of topics — including transportation, energy conservation, waste prevention, food and environmental protection.”
Two comprehensive questionnaires have been developed: one for faculty and staff and one for students. Questions cover three primary areas: knowledge and awareness, attitudes and dispositions, and behavior and actions.
They also focus on the university’s key sustainability priorities, including carbon neutrality. The questionnaires are being sent to a representative sample selected on each of the three campuses.
“While many other universities have conducted campus sustainability surveys, the SCIP questionnaire is the most comprehensive, longitudinal survey developed on the topic,” Callewaert said.
“We frequently receive inquiries from other institutions about our process, which is a great testament to the value of this work. Thank you in advance to anyone who receives an invitation and completes the questionnaire.”
