Characteristics and affordability of American universities with a willingness to invest in sustainability

Abstract Based on investment data from 214 sustainable universities in the United States, a study on the characteristics and affordability of universities with a willingness to invest in sustainability was conducted. First, according to the concept of ESG, the related factors of sustainability are classified. Then, the important variables are selected by the Cp method. Finally, the main characteristics and maximum affordability of universities with investment willingness for sustainability are quantitatively studied through the logit regression model. The findings are as follows: (1) Most universities take sustainable industries as their investment objective, promoting investment through a series of sustainable policies. (2) The characteristics of universities are as follows: (a) the size of the campus within a certain range; (b) sustainability instruction training for new employees; (c) the encouragement of employees for community service; and (d) the establishment of CIR (Committees on Investor Responsibility). (3) The maximum affordability is 30.3% of the total investment, and approximately 94% of universities do not actually invest as much in sustainability as in willingness. The study defines the identification factors of universities to provide an important basis for the formulation and implementation of guiding policies related to investment in the sustainability of universities in the future.