Student Survey shows growing concern for how their place of study handles environmental issues. Written by Molly McMahon.
Summary of the survey as a whole
Students from the University of Worcester recently took part in The Student Perspectives on Education and Employment Survey for the year 2023/2024 This survey discusses what student’s priorities when choosing their university. From course reputation to environmental matters it all makes an impact on where people choose to study. Out of over 10,000 participants, 421 attended The University Of Worcester making up 4.2% of the total.
Students were asked general questions about their course and what factors led them to choose where they were going to study. The proximity of the place of study to home was deemed very important by 43% of respondents. Teaching methods and the reputation of the course were considered very important by 53% and 48% of respondents, respectively. The entry requirements were also a significant factor, with 38% finding them very important, but none of this is surprising. When choosing where you will take the next steps to your future career it is obvious the quality of that course is going to be important.
How students link their place of study to the environment
Outside of course requirements and educational reputations, students were asked about environmental and global issues. 28% of participants found how seriously their place of study tackles environmental issues somewhat important. 17% found it very important, leaving the remaining 54% either unsure how they felt or indifferent on the issue. Global issues followed a very similar pattern with 147 students (35%) finding it neither important or unimportant. Contrastingly 65% of students found the attractiveness of where they study at least somewhat important. The attractiveness of the location may be associated with green spaces and well-looked-after wildlife this is not explicitly stated in the study. However, It is interesting to note considering how many students believe they do not care about environmental factors.
Concern for the environment may seem low however until compared to other figures. How much the students prioritized nightlife which 36% found very unimportant.
This does show that a shift in mindset is beginning to happen. Just last year 21% of students found nightlife important. Whereas only 12% considered environmental factors when picking their place of study.
Environmental factors affecting future employment choices
The survey results indicate a growing consciousness among students about global issues and a desire to make a positive impact on society. This growing trend is likely to influence their educational and employment choices in the future. For future employment, understanding how human activity is affecting nature and the causes of inequality in the world were considered important. This is evident for a significant number of respondents. A good starting salary is considered very important by 47% of respondents. A role that contributes to development within the local community is very important to 40% of respondents. Interestingly, 71% of respondents would prefer a graduate position with a £1000 lower than average salary (£20,000) in a company with a strong environmental and social record. Perhaps this values-driven decision could be due to learning critical thinking skills during students’ course of study, now that would be an interesting future research project, Anyone?