Ailin Donati

David Hubert - Kati Lewis

POLS 1100 - ENGL 2010
2/10/2014
Environmental Sustainability. Survey Report.
This report comes from a survey research that my group and I did in the last few weeks. The
research is about Environmental Sustainability. We wanted to know about peoples knowledge
regarding this issue and if they care or not about meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in our environment. Out of an
amount of 100 surveys we had 96 results. Every survey was anonymous and asked for political
orientation in the first place. Then it was structured by a few question about their own opinion on
climate change, if they care or not about the problem and 4 last questions on the knowledge of the
issue.
I started this research excited to see how the results data would have come out. My group and I
formulated several hypotheses about the possible results. The main hypothesis was about the political
orientation related to the action of the government or of the free market to try to resolve the issue. We
thought that Democrats would have answered for Free Market while Republicans in favor of
Government action. After that, we laid the emphasis on the knowledge part. My hypothesis was that
women would have been more knowledgeable than men because of their innate nature of reflecting,
thinking and caring about problems and in this case, about future generations.
Our survey was delimited to the ambit of Taylorsville (primarily around the seat of Salt Lake
Community College) and Salt Lake City. It was conducted few weeks ago, between the middle of
February 2014 and the start of March 2014. The three members of the group plus me had 25 survey
each. As for my part of the survey I went all around the campus looking for every kind of people. I
wanted my research to be the more extensive possible. Age didnt matter. Because of my own
hypothesis, the principal thing I was paying attention about, was to distribute the survey on
approximately the same number of men and women. When the group met up we put our own data all
together and we had 96 reliable survey.
Here it is a summary table of our results.

Peoples knowledge about the issue. Knowledgeable Not knowledgeable
Women 57 % 43 %
Man 56 % 44 %
Total people 56 % 44 %
Peoples opinion about the possibly action dealing with the issue.
Free Market Government
Republicans 51 % 49 %
Democrats 47 % 53 %
Other/ no party 61 % 39 %
Total people 54 % 46 %
People convinced or not of Global Warming and Humans affect on climate change.
Convinced Not convinced
Republicans 62 % 38 %
Democrats 71 % 29 %
Other/ no party 50 % 50 %
Total people 59 % 41 %

These data clearly go against our first predictions. The 56 % of men was knowledgeable about the
issue facing the 57 % of women. Consequently the 44 % of men and the 43 % of women were not
knowledgeable. Apparently the gender doesnt matter in regarding of knowing the subject were dealing
with. Another hypothesis was the one that the membership to the Republican party or to the Democrat party
would have been affect on the opinion about the possible action on the climate change. Also this time we
face with close results as for these two parties. The 49 % of Republicans believe in the Government action
when the 51 % decided upon the Free Market, Democrat party find his 47 % voting for the Free Market
and the 53 % for the Government action. The data that stands out of this last question it could have been
easily predicted. In fact the people that have declared themselves as for Other party or No party have
answered with a 61 % for an action through the Free market while only the 39 % decided upon the
Government action. The reason why this could have been predicted is the evident lack of trust that this part
of our respondents places in the Political Government. Furthermore the results data of the question related
with being or not convinced of Global Warming and Humans affect on greenhouse gas releasing state that
the majority of the population, despite of their partys affiliation referring to Republicans and Democrats, is
Convicted that Humans have their influence on the Environment. 62 % of the Republicans and 71% of the
Democrats believe so. Otherwise the Other/No Partys answers are on a 50 50 and this tells us how less
information arrives to them regarding the issue.
It is important that people knew about their influence on the planet because only when they will
have the awareness on what is going on they will be able to take little steps to help the situation. This is the
main purpose of the website Sustainable Baby Steps. The writers are convicted that everyone should take
small steps toward greener living. The website wants to give its readers information and data as in its
article Human impact on the Environment. It is said how Human affect Water, Land and Air Pollution.
As a consequence of this survey it is clear that information it is the problem in the first place. For
this reason Sustainable Baby Steps it is only an example of what should be done. The number of the
ignorance people about Environmental sustainability was the 44 %. It means that 44 people out of 100 have
no knowledge about the issue. Other relative number is the 41 % that doesnt know the affection of Human
on the Planets pollution and climate change. The not knowledgeable people should be less than the 5 %.
We have to know what it is going on all around us. What it is happening in the Environment in which we
live. Lets now lay the emphasis on the 41 % of people who dont know of Global Warming and Humans
affect on greenhouse gas releasing. Although the not convinced people of Republicans and Democrats
were the 38 % and the 29 % we have a total of hypothetic 41 people out of 100 that are not convinced. This
number was brought down because of the 50 % of the Other/No party respondents that were not convinced.
What does it mean? Republicans and Democrats have more awareness. Accordingly Republicans and
Democrats receive more information. Why? Everyone knows that the majority of newspapers and TV
channels have a predominant idea behind them. Therefore America or in this case Salt Lake City and
Taylorsville need more information about the Environmental Sustainability. Awareness is the key to start.
The results of our survey have established that not enough people knows enough about Environmental
Sustainability.