University of Idaho
AC-6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment

The following questions address aspects of sustainability. Please indicate whether the statements are "True" or "False." If you are unsure of an answer, please select "Don't know."

Q8 Most scientists believe that climate change is happening.
True (1)
False (2)
Don't know (3)

Q9 Human behavior plays a significant role in climate change.
True (1)
False (2)
Don't know (3)

Q10 The lives of many people living on islands are threatened by rising sea levels.
True (1)
False (2)
Don't know (3)

Q11 Climate and weather mean the same thing.
True (1)
False (2)
Don't know (3)

Q12 If we had a few colder-than-normal winters or cooler-than-normal summers, it would prove that climate change is not happening.
True (1)
False (2)
Don't know (3)

The 2023 University of Idaho (UI) Sustainability Assessment was developed by doctoral candidate Madison Dougherty in collaboration with Sustainability Director Dr. Sarah Dawson and Sustainability Manager Olivia Wiebe. The literacy assessment was inspired by the SUSTLIT, which is a questionnaire that measures knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about sustainability, developed by faculty at Seattle University in 2014. To better fit our assessment objectives, we selected questions that only measured knowledge from the SUSTLIT and added or removed language that would be more responsive to our campus community. We also changed the 5-point Likert scale of the original SUTLIT to a "True/False/Don't know" question format to reduce the cognitive load participants may experience. The assessment is 30 questions long and addresses knowledge in climate, energy, water, waste, biodiversity, environmental justice, and food. A literature review and review of AASHE resources was conducted to inform this measure and these items. The questionnaire was reviewed and approved for distribution by the Director of Institutional Research within the Office of the Provost & Executive Vice President.

The assessment was administered for the first time in the fall semester of 2023. We will use the same literacy assessment annually in fall semesters so that we may longitudinally measure changes in sustainability knowledge of our student population and assess if our sustainability education initiatives are successful.

We distributed the survey to the entire student population, both undergraduate and graduate levels. An invitation was sent out by University Communications and Marketing in September 2023 to students, alongside the sustainability culture survey. The survey was open for three weeks.

At the end of the assessment, participants saw their score and the questions they answered incorrectly with the correct answers. Participants who completed the survey entered their name into a drawing for a $50 gift card to a location of their choice. By providing a gift card incentive and showing participants' total scores at the end, we gamified the assessment to increase response rates.

Literacy Assessment Key Findings

The average literacy score was 19.83 out of 30.

92% of student respondents correctly answered "True" to the question "Most scientists believe that climate change is happening."

88% of student respondents correctly answered "True" to the question "Human behavior plays a significant role in climate change."

92% of student respondents correctly answered "False" to the question "What ends up in the garbage has no effect on global warming or climate change."

63% of student respondents correctly answered "True" to the question "Abuses of the environment disproportionately impact people experiencing poverty and people of color."

87% of student respondents correctly answered "True" to the question "Fire plays a vital role in healthy forest ecosystems by promoting new growth, recycling nutrients, and controlling certain plant species."

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

Survey Source: the SUSTLIT from Seattle University (Obermiller, C., & Atwood, A. (2014). Comparing Faculty and Student Sustainability Literacy: Are we fit to lead? Journal of Sustainability Education, 7.)

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