ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — The Chesapeake Bay Program released the groundbreaking results of the first comprehensive survey of stewardship actions and attitudes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. According to a press release, known as the Citizen Stewardship Index, the powerful package of data and information reveals which actions residents are taking to protect clean water and restore environmental health, as well as showing how much of the region has volunteered or spoken out on behalf of the environment.

“The data also forecasts future stewardship by measuring residents’ willingness to engage in certain actions and responses to perceptions that motivate environmentally responsible behaviors,” officials said in the release. “Rooted in social science, the Citizen Stewardship Index will directly inform the work of watershed organizations and government agencies that foster environmental stewardship.”

The data that informs the Citizen Stewardship Index was collected through English- and Spanish-language landline and mobile phone interviews with 5,200 randomly selected residents between March and May 2017.