Answer: Residents of the Long Island Sound watershed have some awareness of the Sound, but there are clear knowledge gaps. A 2024 survey of 3,709 Connecticut and New York residents found that only 37 percent knew they lived in the watershed. While 67 percent said protecting the environment was a top priority, just 16 percent believed their actions might hurt water quality, and 61 percent thought nothing they do could cause harm. When asked in a more positive way with a focus on future action, 26 percent said there were things they could do to improve water quality. About 73 percent agreed that what happens on land affects the health of the Sound, but only 36 percent felt they knew specific steps they could take to improve the Sound’s health. These findings show that watershed residents care about the environment, but many do not fully understand their impact or how to help.
To address these gaps, the Long Island Sound Partnership has been engaging about 250,000 people each year through education and outreach and plans to increase this number by 10 percent under the new CCMP. National studies of environmental education programs have shown that hands-on, place-based learning is linked to increases in knowledge and awareness, even when programs do not run formal pre- and post-tests. Regular public perception surveys, which will be conducted every 3–5 years, will help track whether knowledge is improving across the watershed.
*The Objective’s Measure of Success define reasonable outcomes and ensure that progress towards the Objective can be clearly and precisely tracked over time.
Based on the Measures of Success, the overall status of this Objective is:
Check back soon for 2025 data.
The primary measure of success is to engage 1.3 million members of the public, including youth, educators, and adults, in Long Island Sound educational programming and outreach by 2030. The numeric target is based on engaging a total of 275,000 people a year, which is a 10 percent increase from the 2023 Long Island Sound Futures Fund reporting and program data.
Currently, programs like the Long Island Sound Schools Network, the Mentor Teacher Program, and projects supported by the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, engage youth and educators in watershed-focused education. In total, the Long Island Sound Partnership and its supported activities reach about 250,000 people per year. We plan to increase this reach to 275,000 people annually through 2030, totaling about 1.3 million people engaged. This objective focuses on raising public understanding of Long Island Sound and its watershed through education programs, outreach, and informational materials about the Sound’s condition, management, and restoration.
Because these are new measures, we do not yet have trends to report. However, we can draw on results from the 2024 public perception survey to establish a baseline. These results show that while residents care about the environment, many are unaware they live in the watershed and are uncertain about how their actions affect water quality. Regular surveys, conducted every three to five years, will allow us to track changes in environmental literacy over time.
Environmental Knowledge Index: The Environmental Knowledge Index (EKI) uses data from the public perception survey to gauge how well people understand Long Island Sound and how their actions affect it. Instead of looking at each survey question on its own, the index bundles five questions into one score so it is easier to track overall trends, compare future survey results, and see whether public understanding is improving over time.
The EKI pulls together responses about identifying a nearby waterbody, knowing whether respondents live in the watershed, recognizing daily behaviors that can help or harm water quality, and agreeing that actions on land impact the Sound. Each response is scored then combined into a single number, or index score. A higher index score reflects greater environmental knowledge.
Based on the most recent survey data, the current index score is 40. Since this index is brand new, and we do not have prior data to compare it to, this is considered our baseline. Moving forward, the Partnership is currently evaluating additional targets and will aim to increase the index score over the next 10 years.
Reaching participation targets is not a major challenge, but several barriers affect our ability to strengthen environmental literacy:
Equipping both students and adults with environmental knowledge of Long Island Sound positions them to become better decision-makers, collaborators, and stewards of the Sound and its watershed. Research has shown that environmental education can improve environmental knowledge and literacy among participants, which can lead to an increase in environmentally sustainable behaviors moving forward. Additionally, effective environmental education programming may facilitate feelings of belonging and a sense of “place-meaning”’ among participants – another predictor of pro-environmental behavior.
Effective education and enhanced environmental literacy are particularly important when it comes to nitrogen pollution from non-point sources, which remains one of the greatest challenges to the health of Long Island Sound. Addressing this issue requires an informed public who understands both the problem and the specific actions individuals can take to reduce their impact. Expanding environmental education and ensuring that Long Island Sound watershed residents have accurate, accessible information will be essential to maintaining and improving the Sound’s condition in the decades ahead.
Maggie Cozens, margaret.cozens@uconn.edu
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