Are students aware of university social responsibility? Some insights from a survey in a spanish university

Abstract

The principal aim of this paper is to identify the factors that define the perceptions of students with regards to University Social Responsibility (USR), and discuss its implications for the design of University marketing strategies. In doing that, a self-report study was conducted with a total sample of 400 undergraduate students of the University of León, in Spain. Structural equations modeling with PLS was used to test the students’ overall perception of the USR. Results support that students distinguish between different facets of the USR, but only one affects the overall perception, internal management. From universities marketing perspectives, the results obtained point to the need of working towards a higher involvement in USR spreading actions and improving the education of students in the area of sustainability and social responsibility, in order to achieve higher standards of university quality, satisfaction and credibility.