ACEE has conducted two major polls of Albertans:

Environmental Behaviour and Alberta Youth:  April 2010

To download the final report by pollster Ipsos Reid, click here.

To download the ACEE press release on this report, click here.

Thanks to ConocoPhillips Canada and the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation for their support of this polling project!

Polling of 801 Albertan Adults:  January 2009

 Download a 2 M pdf showing key results, as presented at Inside Educations' September 2009 WaterEdWest conference: click here

Media from our 8 May press conference

 City TV (video news clip)

Calgary Herald (pdf with colour photo) and link

Metro News

Interview with CHQR 770 AM (31M file - request this from ACEE)

Download the report and press releases

ACEE is pleased to offer a number of resources for those interested in this highly successful project.  You can download the...

Joint press release with University of Calgary

ACEE Press release (7 May 2009)

Backgrounder for the press conference

Report by Ipsos Reid on the polling

Download 'Environmental Education: Creating a Sustainable Future for Albertans'

 Also, Ipsos Reid has published a 'Factum' about this polling data - please contact Jamie Duncan by e-mail or at  403-969-3235  403-969-3235 for this information.

About the project

ACEE  engaged pollster Ipsos Reid to conduct an Alberta poll of adults, and convened a multi-stakeholder committee to help advise this project.  801 Albertans were polled in late January 2009.  Our research asked key questions about Albertans’ environmental literacy, their stewardship actions, and their receptivity to market-based instruments to protect the environment – since many drivers of environmental behaviours are financial.

Some of our committee, at our 14 July workshop.  From left to right: Sheela Das, Ipsos Reid; Trina Innes, Alberta Environment; Lorraine Lastiwka, Alberta Education; Ed Whittingham, Pembina Institute; Kevin Strange, Calgary Zoo; Neil Mcinnis, Parks Canada; Ian Waugh, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation; Stuart Peters, Alberta Ecotrust; Sarah Hipkin, Land Stewardship Centre of Canada. (Click here for the complete list of participants)

What we already know

With the help of our committee, Ipsos Reid has pulled together a summary of publicly available polling data.  You can download the presentation here, and view some key observations below. 

Support for environmental education in Alberta is VERY high!

• 94% of Albertans think that K-12 public schools should  teach their students about protecting the environment.
• However, only 38% are aware of schools in their community that require their students to learn about protecting the environment.
• 95% of Albertans think that K-12 public schools should  be involved in community environmental action projects such as recycling, bike-to-school days and community gardens.
• 98% of Albertans consider including the issue of the environment in the curriculum to be either 'desireable' or 'highly important.'
• Of these, two thirds of respondents believe environment should be linked with all other subjects at school; one third feel it should be a subject by itself
• There is an appetite – and need – among the public for more information (in Alberta, education on climate change in particular)

What do we think about the environment?

• 70% of Canadians believe the state of the environment is getting worse
• Pragmatism, not altruism, will guide attitudes and behaviours towards the environment.
• Relative to the rest of the country, Albertans score lower in this area – less concerned about the environment, less willing to act
• That said, 84% of Albertans are concerned about climate change

Our willingness to help the environment

• Almost 4/5 Canadians claim they are personally prepared to make significant lifestyle changes in order to stop climate change
• Perceived major barriers to more sustainable behaviour include lack of government leadership, ‘feel unable to solve problems alone,’ and the need to know more about solutions. A sense of collective action is fundamentally important.

Who do we think is responsible to take action?

• Government and businesses are perceived as the best placed to lead the agenda.
• Support for government interventions depends on the nature of the intervention. Some fiscal measures are contentious while others are widely supported (e.g., high support for phasing out incandescent light bulbs).
• 90% of Albertans think they are doing a good job of protecting the environment (but it turns out that their understanding of how to do a good job is low)

Some implications

• Education about solutions and positive examples is more important than ever
• Changing behaviour is complex, and environmental behaviours are very different from one another.
• While there is a growing number of people who will act on principle/belief as it relates to energy and/or conservation, most continue to have a practical personal (economic) interest underpinning their potential behaviour. And within this, immediacy of benefit still tends to rule the day.
• As people are asked to do more by government, business and others, there is an increasing tendency to ‘trade off’ the demands that are being placed on them.
• Who delivers any energy and/or conservation messaging often impacts on receptivity to the messages themselves. Many people tune-out if they don’t associate immediate credibility with the messenger.

Our 'Terms of Reference'
 ACEE and its committee set the following goals for this research:

1. Assess Albertans needs vis-à-vis environmental education, so that stakeholders may better design their programs. 
2. Create a ‘case’ by asking Albertans about their support for different elements of environmental education
3. Better understand Albertan’s perceptions of, and support for, market-based instruments and incentives to help the environment – since the polling shows that many drivers of environmental behaviours are financial
4. Discuss the implications of our research, and generate recommendations for EE stakeholders.

Thanks to our advisory committee!

The following individuals and organizations sat on the advisory committee for this project:

Preston Manning, Manning Centre for Building Democracy
David Thompson, Sustainable Prosperity
Trina Innes, Alberta Environment
Ian Waugh, Alberta Tourism Parks and Recreation
Sarah Hipkin, Land Stewardship Centre of Canada
Brent Andressen, Alberta Agriculture
Vonn Bricker, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
Stuart Peters, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Rob Macintosh, Green Planet Communications and ACEE Board member
Dr. Loleen Berdahl and Rob Roach, Canada West Foundation
Barb Simic, ConocoPhillips Canada
Kevin Strange, Education and Outreach, Calgary Zoo
Neil Mcinnis, Social Science Specialist, Education and Communication, Parks Canada
Lorraine Lastiwka, Alberta Education
Ed Whittingham, Pembina Institute
Dr. Gwen Blue, University of Calgary
Danielle Droitsch, Water Matters
Dr. Susan Barker, University of Alberta
Cliff Lacey, Alberta Recreation and Parks Association