Quality of Life Survey – Key Findings Student Affairs Commiee March 30th, 2014 Quality of Life What? • University-wide survey designed to measure student quality of life on qualitative and quantitative levels. – Recommendations derived from data will drive short-, mid-, and long-term proJects to improve student quality of life. Why? • There has never been a comprehensive, campus-wide assessment of Columbia students’ quality of life. – Several schools and departments have surveys for specific needs, but they sometimes lack rigor and the ability to draw conclusions from a broad network of variables. 2 Quality of Life How? • 13 Categories: - Funding, Housing, Academics, Social Life, Transportation, Safety, Libraries, Space, Career Preparation, Administration, Fitness, Technology, and Health • Four parts in each category: - Satisfaction - Specific satisfaction questions per category - Importance - Satisfaction * Importance = Impact - Open-ended recommendation question per category • Randomized order of categories • Wide variety of variables: – 16 Demographic Variables – 84 Satisfaction Variables – 13 Importance Variables – 55 Personality Variables 3 Quality of Life — Timeline • Fall 2012: Survey Design and Development – Behavioral Research Lab at the Columbia Business School • February 2013: Pilot to selected students • February – April 2013: Engaged stakeholders and Improved Survey • April 2013: Launched Survey • 2013-2014: Analysis and Recommendations 4 Number of Responses Emailed to 36,000 students In 20 different schools Over 8,650 surveys started Over 6,250 completed responses Overall response rate of 17.1% 5 School Response Rates 35% 33% 33% 30% 30% 25% 25% 25% 25% 24% 21% 19% 20% 19% 17% 17% 14% 15% 14% 12% 12% 11% 10% 10% 10% 9% 9% 5% 0% Altogether, out of Columbia’s 2012 enrollment of over 36,000 full-time and part-time students, we received 6,276 complete responses. The survey took about 20 minutes to complete. 6 Diversity of Responses Gender LGBTQ Identified Marital Status 1.2% 0.4% 10.0% 12.1% 0.2% Male Yes Single 39.1% Married Female No Divorced 60.6% Transgender/ 90.0% Widowed Genderqueer 86.5% English First Language Ethnicity International Student 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 23.5% 19.7% White 59.8% Yes Asian-Pacific 21.2% Yes No Hispanic 10.8% No 80.3% African-American 7.0% South Asian 5.7% 76.5% Other 4.6% Native American 1.1% Pacific Islander 0.4% 7 Overall Results 2.00 1.66 1.50 1.44 1.30 1.30 1.00 0.89 0.87 0.75 0.72 0.71 0.64 0.52 0.48 0.50 0.10 0.08 0.01 0.00 -0.18 -0.50 Satisfaction is on a scale of -3 to 3, with -3 being “very dissatisfied,” 0 being “neutral,” and 3 being “very satisfied.” 8 Overall Results by School Above Average Overall Satisfaction Below Average Overall Satisfaction 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40 0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 0.86 Graduate School of Journalism 1.31 Teachers College 0.82 Columbia Business School 1.31 School of Engineering and Applied 0.82 Science, Undergraduate School of Social Work 0.80 Jewish Theological Seminary 1.24 School of Engineering and Applied 0.78 Science, Graduate School of Continuing Education 1.21 College of Dental Medicine 0.78 Graduate School of Architecture, 0.75 College of Physicians and Surgeons 1.16 Planning and Preservation School of Public Health 0.75 Barnard College 1.08 School of General Studies 0.74 School of International and Public Columbia Law School 0.68 1.04 Affairs School of Nursing 0.58 Columbia College 0.89 School of the Arts 0.32 9 Overall Results Overall Satisfaction vs. Importance 2 More Satisfied, Less Important More Satisfied, More Important Safety Transportaon 1.5 Libraries Academics 1 Technology Social Life Housing Health (Physical) Career Preparaon Space Quality Health (Mental) 0.5 Average Satisfaction (mean=0.87) Average Administraon Space Availability 0 Fitness Funding Less Satisfied, Less Important Less Satisfied, More Important -0.5 1.1 1.35 1.6 1.85 Adjusted Importance (mean=1.52) 10 Overall Results with No Affiliates Overall Satisfaction vs. Importance (No Affiliates) 2 More Satisfied, Less Important More Satisfied, More Important Safety Transportaon 1.5 Libraries Academics 1 Technology Housing Social Life Health (Physical) Career Preparaon Health (Mental) 0.5 Space Quality Adjusted Satisfaction (baseline=0.85) Administraon Space Availability Funding 0 Fitness Less Satisfied, Less Important Less Satisfied, More Important -0.5 1.1 1.35 1.6 1.85 Adjusted Importance (mean=1.54) 11 Undergraduate Students Satisfaction 2.00 1.84 1.66 1.60 1.50 1.44 1.50 1.35 1.30 1.30 1.01 1.00 0.89 0.86 0.87 0.87 0.75 0.72 0.71 0.67 0.64 0.60 0.63 0.52 0.51 0.48 0.50 0.35 0.32 0.10 0.08 0.11 0.01 0.00 0.00 -0.01 -0.18 -0.50 Overall Undergraduate Satisfaction is on a scale of -3 to 3, with -3 being “very dissatisfied,” 0 being “neutral,” and 3 being “very satisfied.” 12 Graduate Non-PhD Students Satisfaction 2.00 1.66 1.53 1.44 1.50 1.30 1.30 1.29 1.25 1.09 0.89 1.00 0.76 0.87 0.87 0.87 0.80 0.79 0.75 0.72 0.71 0.65 0.64 0.56 0.52 0.48 0.50 0.41 0.26 0.10 0.08 0.09 0.01 0.00 -0.13 -0.18 -0.50 -0.67 -1.00 Overall Graduate Satisfaction is on a scale of -3 to 3, with -3 being “very dissatisfied,” 0 being “neutral,” and 3 being “very satisfied.” 13 PhD Students Satisfaction 2.00 1.66 1.55 1.44 1.44 1.50 1.35 1.30 1.30 1.29 1.00 0.89 0.86 0.87 0.82 0.75 0.81 0.82 0.72 0.72 0.71 0.69 0.64 0.52 0.48 0.46 0.50 0.44 0.26 0.10 0.08 0.01 0.00 -0.04 -0.02 -0.19 -0.18 -0.50 Overall PhD Students Satisfaction is on a scale of -3 to 3, with -3 being “very dissatisfied,” 0 being “neutral,” and 3 being “very satisfied.” 14 In-Depth Analysis • Example of a Key Strength – Safety • Opportunity Areas – Health – Graduate Housing 15 Strength: Safety Safety Satisfaction vs. Importance 2.5 More Satisfied, Less Important More Satisfied, More Important 2.3 2.1 College 1.9 Journalism SEAS, Undergrad Business TC GS SIPA GSAPP 1.7 SEAS, Graduate SCE GSAS Barnard Arts 1.5 JTS Social Work Law P&S 1.3 Public Health Adjusted Satisfaction (mean=1.563) 1.1 Nursing 0.9 Dental Less Satisfied, More Important 0.7 Less Satisfied, Less Important Adjusted Importance (mean=1.67) 0.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 16 Safety Satisfaction by Ethnicity 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Overall Asian/Pacific Black/African-American Hispanic/Latin American/Spanish Origin Native American Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander South Asian White 17 Safety: Regression Analysis 1. School – Being from the Dental School dwarfs all other effects, and is strongly negative. Students from other medical campus schools (P&S, Nursing, and Public Health) also have lower satisfaction with safety, all else being equal. 2. Gender – Females have lower satisfaction. 3. Degree type – PhD students and non-PhD graduate students have lower satisfaction. 4. Race – Asians and Pacific Islanders have lower satisfaction. Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites have higher satisfaction. – Being Asian has the single largest effect on satisfaction with Public Safety. This effect is negative. 5. Marital status – Married individuals have lower satisfaction. 18 Respondent Recommendations • Lighting, the 168th St homeless shelter, and officer patrols Improved lighting along 168th, 169th, and 170th streets. – Nursing Student I am able to compare the uptown campus to the downtown campus since I have aended both. I lived on La Salle street and Broadway when I aended the Morningside campus and there were campus police everywhere all the time. I have never seen a public safety patrol in Washington Heights. – P&S Student Security in front of the homeless shelter on 168th. – Nursing Student The armory constantly has people loitering around the area, towards student housing (Georgian residence) to the point that most students I know […] cross to the opposite side of the street […] – Dental Student • Security Escorts and Shu^le I wish the campus escort service would extend its services past 181 street – SPH Student Late night intercampus shule could make more stops nearer to the Towers/Bard hall instead of just at the subway station exit. – SPH Student Have campus shule buses to and from the Social Work school. Specially late in the night. – SSW Student Bigger range of late night escort services, I lived 10 blocks away and was ineligible. – P&S Student […] whenever a student requests the campus escort service (no maer the time or place), the escort should oblige. I was once walking with a classmate on Haven Ave when we came across a campus escort and she asked if she could be escorted to where she lives (3 blocks away). The escort seemed to avoid the request initially until my classmate asserted her friend had been aacked recently […] – Dental Student 19 Opportunity Area: Physical Health Physical Health Satisfaction vs.