Survey Report

Analysis of Waste & Sustainability

Survey Responses
Prepared for
Chris Johnson
Sustainability Coordinator
Winthrop University Office of Sustainability
Prepared by
Alina Abedin
Brini Woodland
Kayla Brown
Kat Rhoden
Victoria Wiley
MCOM 471 Waste Group

December 7, 2015

Table of Contents
Executive Summary

I. Background of the Research and Purpose

II. Survey/ Research Population

III. Research Gained and Infographics

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IV. Conclusion and Recommendations

V. Appendix A. Questions and Responses

II. Survey/ Research Population

This survey was distributed to 60 students, faculty, and staff of Winthrop University
on October 2. The survey ended on October 5 and received a total of 51 to the survey. The
participants were 80% female and 20% male. Of the participants who took the survey 30%
were juniors and 29% were sophomores. The percentage of senior participants was 20%.
Lastly, freshman, faculty and staff were at 4%.
The participating students were of majors in mass communication, integrated marketing communication, biology, education, business, theatre and political science. The
faculty are from the business, science, and mass communication departments.
Students and faculty asked about their views on sustainability and waste at Winthrop. The participants are asked a number of questions in the form of multiple choice and
short answer. The types of questions on the survey were open-ended, agree or disagree,
level of importance, and level of familiarity. Topics ranged from possibly having a green
fee, knowledge of the sustainability efforts on Winthrops campus and how often people on
the campus recycle.
The survey was distributed out to the participants through email and text message.
In the e-mail or text a brief introduction of the survey was given and a link to the survey.
The website used to conduct the survey was Survey Monkey. The survey was online so that
it would be easier to access and to get out to the target audience.

III. Research Gained and Infographic

Attached in Appendix A are the complete survey results with the questions asked. The
following are the most statistically significant data findings.
The survey showed a lack of awareness of Winthrops sustainability programs and
the Office of Sustainability itself. Based on the combined results for students and faculty, 94
percent of respondents at Winthrop care about waste management and sustainability, but
they dont know how to get involved, based on a 0 percent awareness about Sustainability
Organizations and a 39 percent familiarity of Winthrops Waste Department. Less than half
of those surveyed are familiar with Winthrops waste management programs, including the
Office of Sustainability. Even fewer, at 34 percent, are aware of the Office of Sustainabilitys
social media account on Facebook, which explains the low number of page likes. No
responder (0 percent) was aware that Winthrop had sustainability and waste-related
organizations. This also reflected in the low participation numbers of these groups,
(0 percent of respondents are participants.)
The survey found that 94 percent of participants in the survey believe a sustainable
campus is important, and almost as many (92 percent) agree that recycling is important to
society on multiple levels. In response to a question asking why they recycle, example
answers included that they do recycle because they know it is good for the environment,
and doing so makes them feel good. Based on the survey, 64 percent would be interested in
more sustainability-related events and cultural events, and 62 percent would be willing to
pay a small fee for sustainability efforts on campus.
Many respondents also expressed that peer influence has an impact on their
recycling habits, as 66.7 percent agreed that they would recycle more if their peers and
family members did as well. A small percentage (6.5 percent) in their open responses as to
why they recycle said that they have been taught to recycle by parents or school teachers
growing up, but 63 percent agreed with the statement that their concern for and
participation in environmental efforts like recycling has increased since coming to campus.
This may be a reflection of the fact that 94 percent agreed that recycling on campus is
convenient.

Waste & Sustainability Survey Results

Importance of Sustainability

92%

Believe that
recycling is
important.

94%

Care about having

a sustainable
campus.

Knowledge of Sustainability Concepts

68%

Understand the idea of sustainability.

Recycling Practices

94%
Agree that recycling on
campus is convenient.

67%
Would recycle more if
those around them did.

Awareness of the Office of Sustainability

39%

Are familiar
with Winthrops
Waste Department.

35%

Are aware
of the Office
of Sustainabilitys
Facebook page.

0%

Know about the sustainability and

recycling organizations on campus.

Executive Summary
Introduction

A survey was conducted by the waste management team in Public Relations Writing
and Production class on behalf of Winthrops Office of Sustainability. The participants,
students and faculty of Winthrop University, answered questions pertaining to sustainability issues and recycling preferences on Winthrops campus.

Objectives and Method

This survey had three objectives : to quantify waste management and waste reduction activities on Winthrop Universitys campus, obtain a measurement of Winthrop Universitys population perception of the current waste management system, and provide
information to the Office of Sustainability about the populations opinion of potential
events and activities on campus and/or changes in any existing waste/recycling programs.
The survey was taken through an online survey website, SurveyMonkey.com The link for
the web-based survey was distributed through email and text messages. Questions were
multiple choice, range, and open-ended. The survey was conducted from October 2, 2015 to
October 5, 2015.

Key Results

Results showed a lack of awareness of both sustainability and Winthrops Office of

Sustainability. Results also showed that students and faculty do care about recycling and
waste reduction and would be willing to participate more if they knew more. 62% of survey
participants agreed that they would pay a small fee in their tuition if they knew the money
would go to increasing sustainability efforts.

Recommendations/ Key Messages

The most important insight gained from this survey is that students and faculty do
care about sustainability, but they arent exactly sure how to be involved with it and what
resources are available to them. Less than 40% of the survey participants were aware of
Winthrops Office of Sustainability and none of the participants knew there were clubs and
organizations. It would be best for the Office of Sustainability to increase its awareness
through social media and campus events as well as create a program that could educate
faculty and staff on sustainability and waste reduction on campus.

IV. Conclusion and Recommendations

The survey showed that the majority cares about having a sustainable campus and
believes recycling is important. This same majority is not familiar with the Office of Sustainability and their work or the recycling/sustainability organizations on campus: Student
Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), Environmentally Conscious Organization (ECO)
and Environmental Issues Academic Success Communities.
Students and faculty would be willing to recycle more and get involved with sustainability, but lack of awareness is holding them back. The survey showed that only 39 percent
are aware of the waste department of the Office of Sustainability and 0 percent are aware of
the sustainability clubs/organizations on campus. The Office of Sustainability simply needs
more involvement and interaction with the students and faculty. This can be achieved
through various forms of marketing. Fliers and announcements can be posted in every
building on campus, to bring more awareness to the office and sustainability practices.
Another valuable marketing tool is social media. 45 percent do not know about the Offices
Facebook page and only 6 percent actually follow it. Having a stronger social media presence on all popular sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr) will allow the Office to
connect and engage with students easily. These sites should not only include interesting
articles and pictures, but interactive polls and activities for students to participate in.
Strong marketing will give the Office of Sustainability an identity on Winthrops campus.
An additional way the office can increase their involvement and interaction with
students and faculty is through education. 25.5 percent are very familiar with the concept
of sustainability. Educating on what sustainability is and the waste departments role in it,
can be made interesting by hosting cultural events about sustainability topics. Collaborating
with other student organizations for some of these cultural events can increase attendance
even more. These events should be informative, but fun and interactive as well, so that
attendees will remember what they learn and be interested in getting involved. The survey
shows that the potential to be better is there because the vast majority supports recycling
and wants to be involved. If the Office of Sustainability connects more deeply with students
and faculty, they will be able to improve in all areas.

Recommendations
- Use fliers and print announcements to communicate with students and faculty to raise

awareness about the office and its practices.

- Develop a strong social media presence through interactive posts to connect and engage
with students.
- Educate students about sustainability through interesting and informative events.

Appendix A. Questions and Responses

I. Background of the Research and Purpose

The purpose of this survey was to gather information on the recycling habits of
Winthrop University students, faculty, and staff. The web-based survey was sent via email
and text message to the campus community starting October 2, 2015 and ending October 5,
2015. A total of 40 students and 11 faculty/staff were surveyed.
The three main objectives, defined for the survey were:

1. Quantify waste management and waste reduction activities on Winthrop Universitys

campus. Measuring campus involvement with waste reduction efforts will help answer

questions about where more education is needed on the topic of recycling, and what
events/activities would best serve the population of Winthrop Universitys campus.

2. Obtain a measure the Winthrop University populations perception of the current

waste management system. The Office of Sustainability needs to know how the Winthrop

population views waste reduction and the Office of Sustainabilitys facilities, programs, and
social media presence. This information will help create a solid and in-depth campaign
while working for the Office of Sustainability.

3. Provide information to the Office of Sustainability about the populations opinion of

potential events and activities on campus and/or changes in any existing waste/recycling programs. Currently, there is no in-depth research on how students, faculty, and staff

at Winthrop feel about recycling and waste efforts. This information will also help to guide
the Office of Sustainability in the future.
The results will be used within the Office of Sustainability in order to identify
strategies to promote awareness of waste reduction and recycling efforts on campus.