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Section I. All Respondents
Section I. All Respondents
The first question of the survey asked respondents about “what things come to mind when you think of environment education”. The purpose of this question was to solicit initial perceptions to the term environmental education prior to any questions about CAEE membership or CAEE-specific programs and services. To retain the integrity and context of respondent perceptions, Appendix A presents the verbatim responses to this question. Clearly, environmental education means different things to different people.
Also at the onset of the survey, respondents were asked whether or not they were aware of the work of CAEE, whether or not they were a member, and if they were not a member, why not. Table A1 presents responses to these questions.
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Table A1. Total Respondents by Aware and Not-Aware of CAEE |
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Aware of CAEE 79% (n=378) |
Not Aware of CAEE 21% (n=99)
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Member of CAEE 64% (n=241) |
Not member of CAEE 36% (n=135) |
Importance of Environmental Education ** (n=87) |
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Years as member? (n=236) |
Reasons for non-member* (Total mentions = 165) |
Importance of EE to current position. |
Mean = 3.3 |
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< 2yr |
24% (n=56) |
Lack of money |
48 |
Importance of EE to friends and family |
Mean = 3.2 |
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2-5 yrs |
45% (n=106) |
Lack of time |
32 |
Importance of EE for public school children |
Mean = 3.9 |
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6-10 yrs. |
15% (n=36) |
Changed jobs |
12 |
Importance of EE for community leaders |
Mean = 3.8 |
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> 10 yrs |
11% (n=26) |
Other (see table A1.a below)
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73 |
Importance of EE in government policies |
Mean = 3.8 |
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Don’t know or not sure |
5% (n=12) |
Importance of EE for you personally. |
Mean = 3.9 |
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* Numbers in this column are number of respondent mentions; total reasons do not sum to 135 (total non-members) as respondents could make more than one choice.
** Scale to measure importance of environmental for those who have not heard about CAEE was a 4-point importance scale where 1= not important at all, 2 = not very important, 3 = somewhat important; 4 = very important.
Discussion Points:
· The vast majority of survey respondents (nearly 80%) were aware of CAEE and a majority of those (64%) were already members of the organization. And, a majority of those members (nearly 70%) have been members less than 5 years.
· Not surprisingly, the two major reasons for non-membership are time and money although a number of other reasons are relevant (See Table A1.a below)
· Nearly 100 respondents were not aware of CAEE. Mean scores to five importance questions suggest that environmental education is at least somewhat important in a variety of venues but most important for school children, community leaders, government policies, and personally (means > 3.5).
Table A1a. “Other” Reasons for Non-membership |
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Reason |
(n=73) |
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Tangential to my work; EE is not the focus of my job; other organizations are more relevant for my work; changed to other professional organizations |
17 |
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My organization is a member but I’m not; my organization is represented by another person |
9 |
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I forgot; I never got around to it; I just put it off |
9 |
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Don’t know how to become a member; didn’t know there was a fee; never got any information |
8 |
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Not sure; other |
8 |
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Not interested; not a priority for me |
5 |
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Just learned about your organization; new to EE,; just learned about it |
5 |
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Not sure of the benefits |
4 |
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Retired |
2 |
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Lack of interest in professional organizations |
2 |
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Costs exceed benefits |
2 |
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Moved away; don’t live in CO anymore |
2 |
Note: Although an additional item, “lack of interest in environmental education” was provided as a choice, no one responded to that item as a possible reason for not being a current member of CAEE.
All respondents were asked to respond to a number of demographic questions. Tables A2 and A3 below summarize these data.
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Table A2. Respondents by Zip Code |
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Home Zip Code 100% (n=320) |
Work Zip Code 100% (n=306) |
Work Zip Code of Current Members (n=646) |
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Denver Metro |
50% (n=161) |
51% (n=155) |
50% (n=321) |
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Northern Front Range |
18% (n=56) |
16% (n=50) |
15% (n=96) |
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Southern Front Range |
16% (n=50) |
15% (n=46) |
13% (n=84) |
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Southwest |
8% (n=24) |
7% (n=22) |
8% (n=52) |
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NW and I-70 |
7% (n=22) |
8% (n=26) |
12% (n=79) |
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Eastern Plains |
2% (n=7) |
2% (n=7) |
2% (n=14) |
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Other: NM, ME, AZ, MI* |
n/a (n=5)
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n/a (n=9)
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n/a |
* “Other” n’s are not calculated in percentages as these respondents do not live in Colorado.
Discussion Points:
· The respondents to the web survey almost exactly represent the proportions of CAEE members across the state by region which is not surprising since 64% (n=241) of the respondents were CAEE members.
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Table A3. Socio-demographic Summary of Respondents |
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Variable |
Percentage (n) |
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Age
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Category |
100% (n=332) |
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< 20 years |
<1% (n=1) |
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21-30 years |
17% (n=55) |
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31-40 years |
26% (n=86) |
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41-50 years |
29% (n=96) |
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51-60 years |
21% (n=73) |
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> 60 years |
6% (n=21) |
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Gender |
Gender |
100% (n=335) |
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Female |
76% (n=255) |
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Male |
24% (n=80) |
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Education |
Level |
100% (n=372) |
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High school degree |
1% (n=4) |
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Some college coursework |
3% (n=13) |
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Bachelor’s degree from college |
38% (n=140) |
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Master’s degree from college |
45% (n=168) |
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Ph.D. degree |
5% (n=17) |
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Other advanced Degree |
8% (n=30) |
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Ethnicity |
Race |
100% (n=336) |
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Caucasian |
91% (n=305) |
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Hispanic |
1.5% (n=5) |
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American Indian or Alaskan Native |
1.5% (n=5) |
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Asian, Pacific Islander |
1.5% (n=5) |
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Mixed Race |
1.2% (n=4) |
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Black or African American |
<1% (n=2) |
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Other |
3% (n=10) |
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Income |
Category |
100% (n=304) |
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< $10,000 |
2% (n=6) |
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$10,001 - $25,000 |
5% (n=16) |
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$25,001 - $50,000 |
28% (n=86) |
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$50,001 - $75,000 |
30% (n=92) |
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$75,001 - $100,000 |
22% (n=65) |
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$100,001 - $150,000 |
9% (n=28) |
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> $150,000 |
4% (n=11) |
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Current Profession |
Category |
100% (355) |
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Public Sector |
50% (n=178) |
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Private Sector |
12% (n=43) |
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Non-Profit Sector |
28% (n=100) |
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Other |
10% (n=34) |
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Voter Registration |
Category |
100% (n=321) |
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Democrat |
53% (n=169) |
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Independent |
25% (n=82) |
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Republican |
9% (n=29) |
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Other (unaffiliated, NOYDB, private, undecided, green, best candidate, depends, can’t remember) |
12% (n=39) |
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Not registered |
<1% (n=2) |
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Religious Affiliation |
Category |
100% (262) |
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None * |
19% (n=50) |
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Spiritual but non-affiliated * |
17% (n=44) |
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Christian |
13% (n=33) |
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Gaia/Nature/Earth/Pagan/Outdoors * |
9% (n=23) |
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Agnostic; Atheist * |
8% (n=21) |
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Catholic |
6% (n=16) |
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Protestant |
5% (n=13) |
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Other (e.g., witch, mystic, peaceful, Nazarene, druid, eclectic) |
3% (n=8) |
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Taoist; Buddhist |
3% (n=8) |
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Too Personal, not applicable; private |
3% (n=8) |
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Jewish |
2% (n=6) |
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EACH Methodist, Lutheran, Unitarian, Quaker |
1% (n=5) EACH |
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Episcopalian |
< 1% (n=3) |
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EACH Pantheist and Presbyterian |
< 1% (n=2) EACH |
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EACH Mormon, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, Secular Humanist, and Unity Church |
< 1% (n=1) EACH |
* considered spiritually unaffiliated (53%)
Discussion points:
· A majority of respondents were between ages 31-50, female, educated (with bachelor’s degree or higher), Caucasian, Democrat, earning an income between $25K and $75K, and spiritually unaffiliated.
· Although half of the respondents work in the public sector (50%), 28% work in the non-profit sector.
A follow-up question about education was asked for those respondents who had college coursework or a college degree. The question asked them to indicate their major or concentration in college. Although the question asked for one subject, very few respondents indicated only one topic. As a result, the findings in Table A4 below summarize all subject areas mentioned.
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Table A4. Respondent’s College Major or Degree (n=323) |
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Major/Degree |
Informal Educators |
Formal Educators |
Other Professionals |
Total Responses |
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Science – biology, geology, zoology, horticulture |
60 |
56 |
25 |
141 |
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Education – elementary, secondary, higher education, vocational |
30 |
55 |
13 |
97 |
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EE or Interpretation
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43 |
14 |
8 |
64 |
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Natural Resources – wildlife, forestry, resource conservation, watershed |
39 |
11 |
12 |
61 |
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Environmental Science - environmental studies, environmental management |
23 |
20 |
15 |
57 |
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Science Education
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11 |
23 |
6 |
39 |
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Parks, Recreation, Tourism – outdoor recreation administration, leisure studies |
19 |
5 |
8 |
31 |
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Other – business, history, engineering, psychology, journalism, accounting, economics, nursing, art, math, law, anthropology, political science, etc. |
30 |
27 |
39 |
95 |
Numbers in cells are number of respondents. Total of all responses will not equal the overall n as respondents may have made a selection in more than one category.
Discussion Points:
· Science is the major or concentration selected by the greatest number of respondents overall (n=141).
· As might be expected, when analyzed by type of respondent, findings indicate that nearly equal numbers of informal and formal educators have science, environmental science, and science education backgrounds; more formal educators have education-specific backgrounds (by almost 2:1); and more informal educators have interpretive or environmental education (3:1), natural resource (3:1), and parks, recreation and tourism (4:1) backgrounds.
Respondents were also asked about what environmental issues were of most concern to them. This was asked as an open-ended question which was content analyzed into topic or theme categories. Table A5 below summarizes this analysis.
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Table A5. Environmental Issues of Most Concern (n=314) |
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Issue |
Number of Responses* |
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Climate Change - Global warming, green house gases; effect of climate change on biomes; climate impact(s).
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99 |
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Water - water conservation (of Upper Arkansas river); water quality, water pollution; water rights; water quantity; wastes water; clean water; water issues; water use; non-point source pollution; clean water; water contamination; pollution in the oceans; water shortage, drought.
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85 |
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Natural Resources, Natural Areas and Development - sprawl, loss of open space, land development, open land conservation; development and loss of natural areas; protection of Wilderness areas, Wilderness preservation; conservation of natural resources; soil; ecosystem management; development; over use of natural resources, preventing Artic Refuge from being mined; land management, natural resources – threatened environment; natural resource use; reducing our environmental footprint; overdevelopment; lack of preservation pathways; poor planning/urban blights; ecological footprint; balanced of nature; urban-wildland interface; green development; planning and zoning – efficient homes and communities.
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73 |
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Habitat - Habitat loss, habitat destruction; loss of biodiversity; habitat conservation; protecting land for wildlife; maintaining ecological diversity; habitat protection’ ecosystem protection; protecting natural habitats; habitat fragmentation; biodiversity.
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68 |
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People/Children and Nature - Children disconnected/distant from the environment; humans as part of nature; people’s lack of knowledge about nature/environment; environmental education programs to teach kids how to think; environmental equity; teaching that everything is connected; balanced programs; getting kids involved in nature; building awareness for conservation of natural resources; ignorance; lack of awareness; empowering students to be good stewards; nature appreciation; lack of understanding about sense of place; lack of general knowledge/respect for environment; recreation impact on public lands; nature-deficit disorder, general ignorance about the environment; environmental stewardship; human apathy, environmental literacy, reconnecting our culture to the environment; environmental care and concern; social and spiritual concerns; anthropocentric attitudes.
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55 |
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Energy – renewable energy; energy use; impact of oil/gas; energy conservation; energy policy; energy and thermodynamics; oil and gas drilling; sustainable energy; alternative energy use; energy efficiency; meeting energy needs; energy consumption; solar energy, oil shortage, oil dependency, oil drilling.
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45 |
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Sustainability – sustainable living; unsustainable growth; relationship of natural resources to sustainability; sustainable development; changing focus from EE to sustainable development;.
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41 |
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Population – too many people; sustainable human population management; over population; human population growth; carrying capacity of the earth; overpopulation (of Colorado).
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35 |
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Wildlife - Wildlife, endangered species; species protection; invertebrate conservation; animal rights; living with wildlife; wildlife conservation; over fishing; species extinction; disappearance of wildlife; displacement of species; human-wildlife interaction/interface; loss of species diversity; animal protection; bird population declines; species loss. |
35 |
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Waste – Litter; recycling; natural resource waste; reducing waste; lack of recycling opportunities.
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28 |
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Air - Air quality, air pollution; clean air; indoor air quality; air pollution and transportation.
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27 |
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Consumption – natural resource consumption; too much stuff; over consumption; consumerism; greed; fair distribution of resources; disposal society; per capita consumption; over-sizing and the impact on resources.
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17 |
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Other – green chemistry; war; weather impacts, 2 more years of G. Bush; lack of leadership; divergence in environmental movement; lack of environmental conservation by federal government; what constitutes sound science; pseudo science for political purposes; this would take a book; lack of mass transportation; national environmental policy; lack of national conservation plan/focus; lack of proactive measures to reduce environmental impacts; getting rid of Bush; brown fields.
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17 |
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Food – local food/economy issues; eliminating artificial ingredients in foods; safe food supply; sustainable agriculture; chemical/ artificial interference with nature; loosing land for crops; imported food toxins; (chemical) food contamination.
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9 |
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Forest Health – preventing forests from industry and clear cutting; sustainable forest management; wildfire management; forest fires; roadless areas.
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8 |
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Invasives - Non-native species; invasive species; native vegetation; preservation of native areas |
6 |
* Total mentions do not equal total n as most respondents selected more than one issue.
Discussion Points:
· Climate change/global warming, water issues, and/or development and natural resources received the highest number of responses (>70).
· Many respondents however, (between 40-70) suggested that habitat loss and destruction, the connection of people and nature, energy, and sustainability were important issues.
· Fewer respondents (less than 40) selected topics such as population, wildlife, waste, air (quality/pollution), consumption, food, forest health, and invasive species as major issues.