Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program (SCIP), Michigan, 2012-2015, 2018, 2021, 2024 (ICPSR 39102)

Version Date: Jul 20, 2026

Cite this study |

Principal Investigator(s):
Robert W. Marans, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research; John Callewaert, University of Michigan. College of Engineering; Noah J. Webster, University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39102.v2

Version V2 ()

  • V2 [2026-07-20]
  • V1 [2024-09-23] unpublished
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Summary

The Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program (SCIP) is a groundbreaking effort designed to inform educational programs and campus operations at the University of Michigan. Two questionnaires (one for faculty and staff and another for students) have been administered to the U-M campus community on a regular basis since Fall 2012. The surveys yield responses from more than 3,500 students and 1,500 faculty and staff members each cycle. Questions cover carbon neutrality, travel and transportation, waste prevention and conservation, the natural environment, climate change, food, and engagement, awareness, and ratings of campus sustainability initiatives.

Citation

Marans, Robert W., Callewaert, John, and Webster, Noah J. Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program (SCIP), Michigan, 2012-2015, 2018, 2021, 2024. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-07-20. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39102.v2

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Funding

University of Michigan

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2012-10-01 -- 2024-12-07

Date of Collection

2012-10-01 -- 2012-10-31, 2013-10-01 -- 2013-10-31, 2014-10-01 -- 2014-10-31, 2015-10-01 -- 2015-10-31, 2018-01-01 -- 2018-01-31, 2021-10-01 -- 2021-10-31, 2024-10-15 -- 2024-12-07

Data Collection Notes

  1. For additional information on the Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program, please visit the SCIP website. Outcomes from past surveys are available to the public on the study website.

  2. Ann Arbor: Records from the U-M's Office of the Registrar indicate that 52,855 full-time students were enrolled for classes at the Ann Arbor campus in Fall 2024. At the same time, the U-M's Human Resources' Information and Data Services report that 8,425 faculty and 39,663 regular staff were employees at the University. Because of the split-sample design, sample sizes were larger than in previous SCIP surveys. For 2024, the sample sizes were: students, 25,665; staff, 3,993; and faculty, 6,000. To ensure proportional representation from all segments of the University community and from all geographic areas of the Ann Arbor campus, the sample design aimed to obtain relatively large numbers from the entire student body and from the staff and faculty population. The student sample was drawn from lists in the Registrar's Office. At the same time, a stratified sample for faculty and staff was selected by the University's Office of Human Resources.

  3. Dearborn: The UM-Dearborn student sample was drawn by the Registrar's Office. To be eligible, students had to meet three criteria: be 1) a full-time undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, 2) registered for the fall semester on the Dearborn campus, and 3) 18 years of age. The faculty and staff samples were drawn by the Dearborn Human Resources office. Only full-time staff were eligible and selected. The Dearborn sample size was 3,078 and consisted of 2,775 current full-time students, 201 full-time faculty, and 102 full-time staff. The initial sample request included a total of 835 first-year students, 530 sophomores, 561 juniors, 541 seniors, and 308 graduate students.

  4. Flint: The UM-Flint student sample was drawn by the Registrar's Office. To be eligible, students had to meet three criteria: be 1) a full-time undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, 2) registered for the fall semester on the Flint campus, and 3) 18 years of age. The faculty and staff sample was drawn by the Flint Human Resources office. Only full-time staff were eligible and selected. The Flint sample size was 3,081 and consisted of 2,775 current full-time students, 204 full-time faculty, and 102 full-time staff. The initial sample request included a total of 419 freshmen, 432 sophomores, 567 juniors, 807 seniors, and 550 graduate students.

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Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to measure and track the culture of sustainability originally on the University of Michigan (U-M) Ann Arbor campus and to inform educational programs and campus operations at the University of Michigan. It was expanded in Fall 2021 to include the U-M Flint and U-M Dearborn campuses. An additional round of data collection was conducted in Fall 2024.

Study Design

Two questionnaires (one for faculty and staff and another for students) were administered to the U-M campus community on a regular basis since Fall 2012. They were initially administered annually, then bi-annually. The surveys yield responses from more than 3,500 students and 1,500 faculty and staff members each cycle.

Sample

The SCIP survey was run annually, then bi-annually, administered to a cross-section sample of faculty, staff, and students with email addresses affiliated with the U - M's Ann Arbor campus. To be eligible to participate, faculty and staff had to be eligible to receive benefits (employed at least half-time), and students had to be enrolled for the current semester. In addition to the cross-section sample, there was a panel of undergraduate students who were enrolled in the survey then re-contacted every wave until they graduated.

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend / Repeated Cross-section

Universe

Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses. Results for Flint and Dearborn are available from 2021 forward.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

Questions cover carbon neutrality, travel and transportation, waste prevention and conservation, the natural environment, climate change, food, and engagement, awareness, and ratings of campus sustainability initiatives. The researchers removed the following information from the data in order to protect respondents' privacy:

  • Zip codes,
  • City/Township names,
  • Street names,
  • Resident Hall names,
  • Race/Ethnicity,
  • Identify as (male/female/non-binary), and
  • System fields used to manage the data

Response Rates

For the 2024 Data Collection Cycle the response rates were: Ann Arbor: 15.4%; Dearborn: 13.8%; Flint: 13.3%.

For the 2021 Data Collection Cycle the response rates were: Ann Arbor: 27.2%; Dearborn: 27.2%; Flint: 33.7%.

Presence of Common Scales

Various scales were used based on question type. See questionnaires and survey reports for more information. Materials can be found at the SCIP Materials webpage.

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Original Release Date

2024-09-23

Version History

2026-07-20 This study has been updated to include data from 2024. ICPSR has applied category groupings to age information in the data as to protect respondent privacy.

2024-09-23 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Performed consistency checks.
  • Created variable labels and/or value labels.
  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

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Weight

Sample weights were developed that should be applied when analyzing the survey data. Each dataset has weight variables. These weights should be used when reporting data covering all students and undergraduate students, and when reporting data for faculty and staff separately and together. Weights were computed using a raking approach, in which the marginal distribution of the sample with respect to a few respondents' characteristics is forced to match the corresponding population distribution. The following characteristics were used in the calculation of the weights: gender, ethnicity, undergraduate to graduate student ratio, undergraduate student's cohort, staff to faculty ratio, and employment within the U-M's Health System for the Ann Arbor faculty and staff population.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • ICPSR usually offers files in multiple formats for researchers to be able to access data and documentation in formats that work well within their needs. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR’s Accessibility Center.