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Two thirds of students want to learn more about sustainability

New NUS research has found that over 60 per cent of all university students want to learn more about sustainability, with 87 per cent of all students agreeing that their universities should take sustainability seriously.

This is the sixth year NUS has run the annual Sustainability Skills survey, which has received more than 30,000 respondents in total. Over the six years, despite massive changes within higher education, student demand for sustainability has remained consistently high.

This year, for the first time, the survey covered FE students, and found:

  • 80 per cent of further education college respondents want their college to take sustainability seriously;
  • Almost three quarters of further education respondents agree that all courses should actively incorporate and promote sustainable development


Rob Young, NUS Vice President (Society and Citizenship) said: "The survey data sends a clear, positive message that students in HE and FE care about sustainability, and want to learn more about it, and that they want be a part of the solution to our unsustainable society"

You can read the full report here.


Institutional performance

Through the survey we ask students whether they agree with various statements relating to their university or college.

This year we included two new questions to gauge student perceptions on how their institution is doing on sustainability, and how it is impacting on them as individuals.

The intention is to repeat these questions each year so we can track perceptions on institutional performance.

The two tables below present the ten institutions that got the highest percentage of positive perception from their students for each of the two questions. NB: We have only included universities that got over 100 responses (* indicates representative sample size for the student population at this institution).
 

  1. My university / college takes action to limit the negative impact it has on the environment and society

 

University

% that agree with the statement

Total responses

University of Sheffield

83%

394*

Manchester Metropolitan University

83%

487*

 

Newcastle University

80%

137

 

Nottingham Trent University

80%

126

 

University of Brighton

80%

216

 

Courtauld Institute of Art

80%

261*

 

Plymouth University

78%

776*

 

University of Gloucestershire

76%

205

 

University of Worcester

75%

585*

 

University of Bristol

72%

130

 

 

  1. Being a student at my university / college encourages me to think and act to help the environment, and other people

 

University / college

% that agree with the statement

Total responses

University of Brighton

70%

216

 

Courtauld Institute of Art

67%

259*

 

Newcastle University

67%

137

 

University of Sheffield

66%

395*

 

University of Bristol

65%

130

 

Leeds City College

64%

119

 

Manchester Metropolitan University

62%

487*

 

Nottingham Trent University

60%

126

 

University of Greenwich

59%

332

 

Plymouth University

58%

771*

 

 

Rob Young, added: "Thank you to all the institutions that helped us promote the survey to their students. Well done to those institutions that appear in the tables above. Your students think you are doing well on sustainability, and influencing them to act on sustainability."