The raw data collected from the interviews and surveys conducted were compiled and analyzed using a variety of techniques.
Two-Way Chi-Squared Tests
Chi-squared tests were conducted to determine if the distributions of answers to certain questions to the survey differed from one another.
Test 1
The first test conducted analyzed the responses to two questions:
- How often do you intentionally dispose of waste in the recycling bin instead of the trash can?
- Answer type 1A: “Always” OR “Most times”
- Answer type 1B: “Sometimes” OR “Never”
- If you do/did not recycle any part of your pod, what is the primary reason?
- Answer type 2A: “I do recycle the recyclable portions of my pod” OR “I am unaware how to properly recycle the recyclable part of a coffee pod”
- Answer type 2B: “Doing so is messy and requires more effort” OR “Doing so takes too much time”
This test included only the 51 individuals who answered that they use K-cups or some other pod-style coffee daily, frequently, or rarely, in order to exclude those who had never been exposed to coffee pods and therefor were unable to answer the second question. The responses to these questions are organized in the table below.
| How often do you intentionally dispose of waste in the recycling bin instead of the trash can? | ||||
| Always or Most Times (1A) | Sometimes or Never (1B) | Totals | ||
|
If you do/did not recycle any part
of your pod, what is the primary reason |
Do, Unaware (2A) | 25 | 12 | 37 |
| Too much time/effort
(2B) |
5 | 9 | 14 | |
| Total | 30 | 21 | 51 | |
The null and alternative hypotheses for the test are listed below.
- Ho: There is no significant difference in the proportion individuals who chose “yes” or “no” to answer to question 1.
- Ha: There is a significant difference in the proportion individuals who chose “yes” or “no” to answer to question 1.
The results to the two-way chi-square test are summarized in the table below.
| X^2 | 4.25 |
| df | 1 |
| P-val | 0.039 |
Using a significance level of 0.05 > p-value = 0.039, the null hypothesis is rejected, and a significant difference is found between the proportions of answers to question 1 based off of individuals’ answers to question 2.
Test 2
A similar second test conducted analyzed the responses to a new pair of questions:
- Do you wash out your recyclables if they have been contaminated with food before recycling them?
- Answer type 1A: “Yes”
- Answer type 1B: “No”
- If you do/did not recycle any part of your pod, what is the primary reason?
- Answer type 2A: “I do recycle the recyclable portions of my pod” OR “I am unaware how to properly recycle the recyclable part of a coffee pod”
- Answer type 2B: “Doing so is messy and requires more effort” OR “Doing so takes too much time”
This test included only the 51 individuals who answered that they use K-cups or some other pod-style coffee daily, frequently, or rarely, in order to exclude those who had never been exposed to coffee pods and therefor were unable to answer the second question. The responses to these questions are organized in the table below.
| Do you wash out your recyclables if they have been contaminated with food before recycling them? | ||||
| Yes (1A) | No (1B) | Totals | ||
|
If you do/did not recycle any part
of your pod, what is the primary reason |
Do, Unaware (2A) | 28 | 9 | 37 |
| Too much time/effort
(2B) |
3 | 11 | 14 | |
| Total | 31 | 20 | 51 | |
The null and alternative hypotheses for the test are listed below.
- Ho: There is no significant difference in the proportion individuals who chose “yes” or “no” to answer to question 1.
- Ha: There is a significant difference in the proportion individuals who chose “yes” or “no” to answer to question 1.
The results to the two-way chi-square test are summarized in the table below.
| X^2 | 12.54 |
| df | 1 |
| P-val | 0.0004 |
Using a significance level of 0.05 > p-value = 0.0004, the null hypothesis is rejected, and a significant difference is found between the proportions of answers to question 1 based off of individuals’ answers to question 2.