Fairtrade Surveys

This year the Fairtrade Committee undertook a survey, using the Fairtrade Universities and Colleges Student Survey produced by the National Union of Students (NUS). We asked students to complete the survey.

Our objective was to gather feedback from staff students on:

• their ethical actions and concerns
• their ethical purchasing behaviours
• their awareness of Fairtrade and how it impacts their purchasing behaviour
• awareness of Fairtrade on campus

Fairtrade Survey Summary

The University of Derby carried the survey in 2023 to understand more about students’ knowledge and thoughts on Fairtrade. Findings were compared to an identical survey which was carried out in 2022. 70 students completed it and the key findings were as follows:

• Students highlighted climate change and deforestation as being of greater concern than the respondents in the previous survey. The University might therefore benefit from demonstrating the links between buying Fairtrade products and being environmentally conscientious.
• 91% of respondents said the ethical standards of products they buy matters to them, which is an increase on 81% the year before.
• 80% of survey respondents recognise the Fairtrade logo, down from 97% in the previous survey. The University needs to do more to promote the logo.
• 89% of respondents said they think it is very important or important for the University to take action to use and promote Fairtrade.

Please contact Rosemary Horry (r.horry@derby.ac.uk) if you would like a full copy of the survey results.

Observations

1. The two survey groups

Overall, the University responses show a higher level of interest in and commitment to ethical purchasing than the BLC responses. However, this is partly because the methodologies for collecting the data were different in one crucial respect: the survey was a mandatory activity for BLC students during tutorials, but a requested activity for the University staff and students. Given that the request was likely to have come from a member of the Fairtrade committee, there was a degree of self-selection in the respondents in that those who took part probably had some level of interest in ethical consumption. This was not true for the BLC students, so their responses are much more representative of the College as a whole.

2. Increased awareness and commitment from BLC

It is very encouraging, given the context, to see that awareness of and commitment to ethical purchasing has increased among BLC students. This can perhaps be attributed to the success of the Fairtrade Induction Project. While two “commitment markers” are down by 1% and 2%, nevertheless, comparing data from our 2020 survey of BLC students:

• The number who bought an ethical product in the last month is up by 3%
• The number who say ethical standards of products they buy, and the companies that sell them, matter to them is up by 6%
• The number who agree that companies need to be more responsible and ethical is up by a huge 32%

3. Possible Covid-19 effects

Both surveys showed that in terms of taking action, the most attractive possibilities were buying ethical goods, sharing pages or links on social media or signing online petitions – all solitary activities. This is in marked contrast to the BLC response in 2020, when the top three choices were all sociable: joining a campaign group, volunteering for an organisation working on the relevant issue and taking part in events.

There is a new awareness of Fairtrade products in vending machines (nearly a quarter of BLC students), which would have come to the fore when other hospitality outlets were closed for Covid reasons.

University staff and student footfall on campus is still only a fraction of what it was, and Covid has taken its toll on Fairtrade committee members. We are therefore not too dismayed that only students can remember seeing the Fairtrade logo on campus. Watch this space!

4. Higher price of Fairtrade goods

This remains the greatest deterrent for all respondents. In the current belt-tightening context, perhaps we should run a special promotion of some of the best value Fairtrade products, especially chocolate (supermarket brands) since that remains one of the more popular Fairtrade choices for students.

5. A clear mandate for the Fairtrade Committee from Buxton and Leek College

While 93% of the University respondents deem it important or very important for the University to take action to use and promote Fairtrade, the sample is too small for the Fairtrade Committee to be able to take a mandate from this. However, 76% of BLC students said the same thing, up from 67% two years ago. This is a clear mandate from Buxton and Leek College. We had already identified this mandate and used it to increase our BLC activities in 2020-22, for example with the Fairtrade Induction Project.

6. A Phenomenal Fairtrade Fortnight result!

All our respondents completed the survey before Fairtrade Fortnight 2022, so the figures for those who remembered Fairtrade Fortnight activities is remarkable, at 35% (University) and 52% (BLC). Fairtrade Fortnight 2021 was entirely online due to lockdowns etc, but students may have remembered those activities or activities from previous years. Two years ago, only 8% of BLC students were aware of Fairtrade Fortnight activities so this is a huge uplift, especially when only 10% of students can recall having seen anything to do with Fairtrade on campus aside from the products themselves. It’s possible, however, that they may be mistaking Fairtrade Fortnight activities for the Fairtrade Induction Project.

Action and learning points for the Fairtrade Committee

Learning for the future

• We need to take heed of the actions that all respondents say they are most likely to take to support the issues about which they are concerned: buying ethical goods, sharing pages and links on social media, and signing online petitions. We need to ensure that we are giving them the opportunities they indicate that they will take up. At the same time, as life continues to return to normal, we should be prepared for a greater interest in the more sociable actions of joining groups, volunteering and taking part in events
• We need to examine again what respondents have named as deterrents to Fairtrade buying and address them in our programme
• We have consolidated our good relationship with Buxton and Leek College and worked with more staff there, and these results clearly show the growth of our work there. We need to keep up the momentum and find other Fairtrade activists out there now that Chaplaincy capacity in Buxton and Leek has been cut back. There have already been new and welcome involvement from the Union of Students there in Fairtrade Fortnight
• We need to find a better way to engage more Derby students in a baseline Fairtrade survey, to inform our work, and also to demonstrate to the Union that there is a mandate for Fairtrade, and we need more Union staff resources