Data
analysis reports on the 2009 IU Student Environmental Survey
Prepared by students in S371-Statistics for Sociology, fall 2009 semester
[see below for links to reports]
Introductory
information about the IU Student Environmental Survey (IUSES)
Principal Investigator: Tim Bartley, Associate Professor of Sociology, Indiana University-Bloomington, bartleyt@indiana.edu, www.indiana.edu/~tbsoc
The data in the reports and presentations below comes from a random sample of IUB undergraduate students. In the fall of 2009, 1,400 IUB undergraduates were randomly selected, contacted by email, and invited to take a web-based survey. Approximately 20% completed the survey.
While one might expect students who are interested in environmental issues to be more likely than others to complete the survey, it does not appear that this kind of sample selection bias is especially problematic in this case. The table below shows that in some respects at least, the sample comes fairly close to matching some known characteristics of the full population of IUB undergraduates. Nevertheless, the possibility of sample selection bias should be kept in mind as one examines these findings.
Comparison of the
IUSES sample with some known characteristics of the entire IUB undergraduate
population
|
Variable |
IUSES sample (N=approx. 282 for most
questions) |
All IUB degree-seeking undergraduates, fall 2009
(N=32,000) |
|
Age |
mean = 20.3 yrs. standard dev. = 3.7 yrs. |
mean = 20.6 yrs. standard dev.= 2.8 yrs. |
|
Age categories |
less than 20 yrs:
46.0% 25 or older: 2.5% |
less than 20 yrs:
34.3% 25 or older: 3.5%
|
|
Credit hours |
mean= 15.2 standard dev. = 1.7 |
mean=14.6 standard dev. = 2.2 |
|
Residency |
65.4% in-state resident |
63.4% in-state resident |
|
College |
23.7% Univ. Division 36.0% COAS 13.1% Kelley 4.6% HPER 5.7% SPEA 17% other (Journalism, Music, etc.) |
34.2% Univ. Division 28.2% COAS 15.3% Kelley 6.6% HPER 4.0% SPEA 11.7% other (Journalism, Music, etc.) |
|
Sex |
43.3% men 56.7% women |
50.4% men 49.6% women |
|
Race/ethnicity |
81.9% white 2.1% African American 3.9% Asian American 1.8% Hispanic 6.4% Foreign/international student 3.5% other or multi-racial |
80.7% white 4.6% African American 4.3% Asian American 2.6% Hispanic 5.9% Foreign/international student |
|
Debt |
47.9% have student loans (self-reported data) |
37.0% have student loans (data from 2007-08) |
Sources: Data provided by Todd Schmitz, Executive Director, University Reporting & Research; IU Fact Book 2008-2009
Student Reports
Environmental
Literacy and Global Warming
Natalie Hutchinson Friedman and Drew Jolson
-Report -PresentationPast and
Present: Current and childhood recycling habits in the
IUB undergraduate population
John Towers and Erik Sojdehei
Environmental Concern and Environmental Policy
Kelsey Shea and Alex Bonk
What factors influence “organic” consumers among
IUB undergraduates?
Jaclyn
Weinrauch and Caitlynn Thompson
Socioeconomic Status and
Sustainability
Russell Conard
-Report -PresentationThe
Presence of Environmental Concern in the SOC-S371 Sustainability Survey
Jin Wenyuan and Joseph Till
Transportation
Jenna Peskin and Samantha Levin