Students are asked to rate the importance of various factors, including the institution’s stance on environmental issues, among other decision factors such as cost of living, institutional reputation, and impact upon employability.
Student priorities on environmental issues
From 2021 to 2023, there was a noticeable increase in the importance students placed on their institution’s environmental policies when choosing where to study. Importance scores rose from 79% to 84% in UK universities, and from 76% to 78% in non-UK universities. T
his change is likely driven by heightened media coverage of climate events and a rising consciousness around environmental impacts, but the evidence from the ISB clearly adds to the existing anecdotal narrative, indicating a significant shift in the importance students place on environmental issues.
Diverse perspectives based on nationality and age
The data also reveals that students from countries more directly affected by climate change, such as Pakistan and India, place greater importance on environmental policies, suggesting a correlation between personal experiences with climate impacts and environmental prioritisation.
Interestingly, the data contradicts the assumption that younger students are the most environmentally conscious. Instead, older student groups (ages 30-49) showed higher concern for environmental issues. This indicates that while younger students recognise the importance of environmental issues, they might prioritise other factors more heavily in their decision-making process.
Student satisfaction with environmental efforts
Between 2020 and 2023, there was a significant increase in student satisfaction regarding their institutions’ sustainability efforts. In the UK, satisfaction rose from 89% to 95%, and in non-UK universities from 90% to 92%.
Despite high overall satisfaction rates, some variability was observed across different regions and countries, with universities in European countries generally showing slightly lower satisfaction levels.
Future directions
As environmental sustainability continues to gain prominence in international education discussions, the role of data, such as our own ISB data, and collaboration among educational institutions and organisations like CANIE and the International Education Sustainability Group becomes increasingly important. Understanding and addressing the specific sustainability concerns of diverse student populations will be crucial for universities aiming to lead in the climate change discourse.
[Data taken from the 2024 Global Student Experience report brought to you by Etio. As in previous years, the 2024 report is based upon the findings of the International Student Barometer, benefiting from an unrivalled sample of 192,581 student responses, including 122,975 international students, studying at 155 institutions in 24 countries.]
Etio (formerly Tribal-i-graduate) has supported Higher Education institutions and national bodies around the world since 2005, tracking and benchmarking student and stakeholder opinion across the entire student journey. As Etio, we continue this mission, bringing you granular benchmarked analysis and actionable insights into today’s student experience.
About the author: Nick Pidgeon specialises in delivering data-rich insights to help universities provide an exceptional student experience, while thriving financially. Nick has made his career with Etio (formerly i-graduate, part of Tribal group plc), spending 21 years delivering data-driven consultancy to universities in the areas of financial benchmarking and the evolving student experience. Outside of work, you’ll find Nick spending time with his young family. Or running long distances, for reasons he is yet to understand.
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