People’s environmental knowledge

Social and economic indicators

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Why we monitor people's environmental knowledge

Waikato Regional Council needs to understand how much people know about environmental issues. This information guides planning and environmental education programmes that support community awareness of environmental issues.

This indicator monitors people’s level of knowledge about key environmental issues.

Over the years various knowledge statements have been used in each of the surveys as different environmental issues became, more or less, well known. These statements are used as indicators of respondents' level of environmental knowledge.

Results - data and trends

In 2022, 41 per cent of respondents had a medium (32 per cent) to high level (9 per cent) of environmental knowledge. In 2019 this measure was 34 per cent. In 2016 this measure was 46 per cent.

In 2022, 36 per cent correctly agreed that the biggest source of greenhouse gases in the Waikato is agriculture. Thirty-one per cent disagreed with the statement. Nineteen per cent selected depends and 15 per cent were unsure.

In 2022, 61 per cent correctly agreed that the biggest driver of climate change is the increase in greenhouse gases from human activities. This was consistent with 2019 survey responses.

In 2022, 54 per cent incorrectly disagreed that air pollution comes mainly from home fires compared to 56 percent in 2019. Twenty nice percent answered either depends or don’t know. Seventeen percent correctly agreed in 2022 compared to 15 per cent in 2019.

Forty one percent of respondents correctly agreed that pollution in rivers and streams comes mainly from agriculture. Twenty-five per cent disagreed. Twenty three percent of respondents selected depends. Eleven percent of respondents were unsure.

Disagreeing with the statement that ‘discharges of treated human sewage are a major cause of pollution in our waterways’ is the correct answer. However, there seems to be a decreasing trend of people answering correctly with 23 per cent in 2022 the lowest it has ever been, 27 per cent in 2019 compared to 37 per cent in 2016 and 2013, and 39 per cent in 2006.

In 2022, 15 per cent correctly disagreed that pollution in the regions rivers and streams comes mainly from industry. In 2019, 19 per cent were correct. In 2022, 45 per cent incorrectly answered that the ‘pollution in the region’s rivers and streams comes mainly from industry.’ Twenty-seven per cent selected ‘depends’.

Methods - how we monitor

Where and how we collect the data

People’s environmental awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours are identified through repeated cross-sectional surveys. The structure of the questionnaire measures the key components of environmental awareness (knowledge, awareness, and concern), attitudes, and behaviour.

In 2022 a total n=1,026 surveys were completed. The following sampling methods were used:

Online collection: this was the primary sampling method which, for the first time in 2022, made use of a third-party panel provider. Waikato residents were invited to self-complete the questionnaire on an online survey platform with n=792 surveys completed using this method
Telephone interviewing: A smaller component of Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) interviews n=234 ensured a sufficient number of responses were achieved in some smaller rural areas.

Monitoring frequency

The survey is repeated every 3 years, with the next survey planned for 2025.

Monitoring history

This survey has been carried out eight times:

June 1998 (benchmark survey)
October to November 2000
September to October 2003
September to October 2006
January to March 2013
February to March 2016
April to May 2019
April to May 2022

The table below shows the range of knowledge statements asked over the years (noting that no knowledge statements were asked in 2003). The 2022 survey includes six knowledge statements for this indicator.

As indicated in the table, the statements have varied in terms of the number and type of statement asked. In 2022 the following new statements were asked:

Pollution in the region's rivers and streams comes mainly from agriculture.
The biggest source of greenhouse gases in the Waikato is agriculture.

Range of knowledge statements asked over the years*	1998	2000	2006	2013	2016	2019	2022
The biggest source of greenhouse gases in the Waikato is agriculture							*
Pollution in the region's rivers and streams comes mainly from agriculture							*
Pollution in the region's rivers and streams comes mainly from farmland		*	*	*	*	*
In this region, discharges of treated human sewage are a major cause of pollution in our waterways			*	*	*	*	*
Most air pollution comes from people's home fires			*
Air pollution comes mainly from people's home fires					*	*	*
Pollution in the region's rivers and streams comes mainly from industry				*	*	*	*
The biggest driver of climate change is the increase in greenhouse gases from human activity					*	*	*
Most of the oil in our waterways comes from spillage from industries		*	*
Grazing stock in the native bush in not harmful to the bush		*
Land-based activities have an effect on the health of our coasts and harbours		*
Most stormwater drains/road gutters drain directly into streams, rivers or the sea	*	*
Pouring used cooking oil down the sink is one good way to dispose of it	*
Most air pollution is caused by cars and trucks	*
People create too much rubbish	*

Measurement technique

The 2022 survey involved a mixed method approach to data collection designed to ensure a wide cross section of residents were reached. A total n=1,026 surveys were completed across both sources. Sample sources for data collection comprised of the following:

Data collection type	Number of completed surveys	% of final sample composition
Online	792	77%
Telephone	234	23%
Total	1,026	100%

The questions were developed, reviewed and pilot-tested before inclusion in the final survey.
Age and gender weightings have been applied to the final data set for this project. Weighting ensures that specific demographic groups are neither under- nor over-represented in the final data set and that each group is represented as it would be in the population. The proportions used for the gender and age weights are taken from the 2018 Census (Statistics New Zealand).
The final sample size provides a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.06 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence interval.

Comparisons over time should be interpreted with caution because environmental problems receiving attention over the surveyed period since 1998 have evolved significantly. Environmental problems over recent years have become less localised, less directly observable, and more complex in terms of causes and solutions.
Since the survey began a mix of negative and positive statements have been used.
The scores of each statement were added together to give a rating out of four in 1998 and 2006, and a rating out of five in 2000, a rating out of three 2013, a rating out of five in 2016 and 2019, and a rating out of 6 in 2022. The regional result was compiled into the per cent of people giving each score and the average was calculated.

More information

When this indicator is updated

This indicator is updated every three years. The next update is due in 2025.

Last updated 30 June 2022