We are recruiting students who are currently attending a UK University to participate in a study that is hoping to understand whether students are concerned about the climate and ecological crisis.
Why am I being invited to take part?
We are interested in hearing from all UK students, regardless of whether you are concerned about climate change or not. We hope to use this information to inform student resources and services or for public health monitoring.
What would I need to do?
You would be asked to complete a variety of short questionnaires, at a time of your choosing. The questionnaires will ask you about your mental health, functioning, climate change and ecological concerns, nature-relatedness, and mindfulness. There will be some other questions asking about your personal demographics (e.g. age, gender etc).
To thank you for your time given to participate in this study, if you wish you can provide your email to be entered into a raffle where you have the opportunity to win one of five £20 vouchers.
What will happen to the information I provide?
Your involvement in the study will remain confidential. Only basic demographic data and responses to questionnaires will be collected. All data will be anonymised meaning it will not be possible to identify you from the data. If you choose to provide your email address to be entered into the raffle, your email address will be stored separately from your other responses and will not be linked to your data in any way.
Your data will be stored temporarily in a password-protected online survey account. Once data collection has been completed, all data will be downloaded and stored on an encrypted and password-protected drive on the secure University of Bath server, in line with their policies.
Anonymised data will be shared as open data once the findings have been published, which means that other researchers can access the anonymous data. It will not be possible to identify individuals from this data.
Will I be paid for my participation?
You will not be reimbursed for participating in this research. If you choose to provide your contact email address, you will be entered into an optional draw to win one of five amazon vouchers worth £20. If you feel you have a problem with gambling and want support, please visit www.begambleaware.org or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
Do I have to provide my email address?
If you wish to be entered into the prize draw you will need to provide your email address, but this is optional. All email addresses will be stored separately from other responses and deleted after the prize has been allocated, so will be stored for no longer than 12 months. Email addresses will only be available to the research team for the purpose of prize allocation.
Do I have to take part?
You do not have to take part in this study, and you can withdraw your participation during the process by exiting the online questionnaire without saving or submitting your responses. You do not have to give a reason for withdrawing from the study. If you submit your responses, we will not be able to help you withdraw your application as it will be automatically anonymised.
What do I do next if I would like to take part?
If you would like to take part, you can follow the link:
https://uniofbath.questionpro.eu/t/AB3uyC6ZB3vfWK.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to take part in person or over the phone, please email Sarah on sl2674@bath.ac.uk.
What do I do if I have a question before I decide if I want to take part?
If you have any further questions, please contact the lead of the study via email:
Lead researcher: Sarah Law – sl2674@bath.ac.uk.
You can also contact the supervisor of the study:
Dr Elizabeth Marks - e.marks@bath.ac.uk.
If you have any concerns related to your participation in this study, please direct them to the Chair of the Department of Psychology Research Ethics Committee: psychologyethics@bath.ac.uk. PREC reference number: 23-021.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this information. We would be delighted if you would be willing to take part.