Environmental Literacy Differences Based on Gender Identity and Race: A Social Justice Concern

Environmental literacy can empower students to make positive changes in their environment. Understanding the rates of environmental literacy in college students of color is particularly important because African American, Asian, and indigenous peoples (BIPOC) are most likely to be disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. We administered a survey with questions regarding environmental literacy to undergraduate students at a comprehensive midwestern university in the fall of 2019 resulting in 2560 participants (about 25% of the student population). An ANOVA comparing environmental literacy summary scores demonstrated that Caucasian respondents had a statistically higher environmental literacy than African American and Native American students but were not statistically different from Asian, native Hawaiian, and mixed-race students, although all scores were low with Caucasian students scoring 39% and African American students scoring 31%. We also found that Caucasian and BIPOC women had a greater concern for the environment (F = 20.675, p < 0.001) and felt that their actions can make a difference following two separate tests (F = 18.916, p < 0.001; F = 19.003, p < 0.001) than men or gender-nonconforming students. Caucasian students have a slightly higher environmental literacy, but the scores overall are low. Women consistently report more concern for the environment and also greater empowerment to make a difference.