diff --git a/awx/main/tests/unit/utils/test_safe_yaml.py b/awx/main/tests/unit/utils/test_safe_yaml.py
index 1c06ff5ca1..7f528ea595 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/unit/utils/test_safe_yaml.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/unit/utils/test_safe_yaml.py
@@ -1,11 +1,25 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
 from copy import deepcopy
+import pytest
+import yaml
 from awx.main.utils.safe_yaml import safe_dump
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('value', [None, 1, 1.5, []])
+def test_native_types(value):
+    # Native non-string types should dump the same way that `yaml.safe_dump` does
+    assert safe_dump(value) == yaml.safe_dump(value)
+
+
 def test_empty():
     assert safe_dump({}) == ''
 
 
+def test_raw_string():
+    assert safe_dump('foo') == "!unsafe 'foo'\n"
+
+
 def test_kv_int():
     assert safe_dump({'a': 1}) == "!unsafe 'a': 1\n"
 
@@ -18,6 +32,10 @@ def test_kv_unsafe():
     assert safe_dump({'a': 'b'}) == "!unsafe 'a': !unsafe 'b'\n"
 
 
+def test_kv_unsafe_unicode():
+    assert safe_dump({'a': u'🐉'}) == '!unsafe \'a\': !unsafe "\\U0001F409"\n'
+
+
 def test_kv_unsafe_in_list():
     assert safe_dump({'a': ['b']}) == "!unsafe 'a':\n- !unsafe 'b'\n"
 
@@ -57,3 +75,11 @@ def test_safe_marking_deep_nesting():
     yaml = safe_dump(deep, deepcopy(deep))
     for x in ('a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'):
         assert "!unsafe '{}'".format(x) not in yaml
+
+
+def test_deep_diff_unsafe_marking():
+    deep = {'a': [1, [{'b': {'c': [{'d': 'e'}]}}]]}
+    jt_vars = deepcopy(deep)
+    deep['a'][1][0]['b']['z'] = 'not safe'
+    yaml = safe_dump(deep, jt_vars)
+    assert "!unsafe 'z'" in yaml
diff --git a/awx/main/utils/safe_yaml.py b/awx/main/utils/safe_yaml.py
index af572e9fd5..1b958b69d0 100644
--- a/awx/main/utils/safe_yaml.py
+++ b/awx/main/utils/safe_yaml.py
@@ -50,21 +50,25 @@ def safe_dump(x, safe_dict=None):
     a: b
     !unsafe 'c': !unsafe 'd'
     """
-    yamls = []
-    safe_dict = safe_dict or {}
-    # Compare the top level keys so that we can find values that have
-    # equality matches (and consider those branches safe)
-    for k, v in x.items():
-        dumper = yaml.SafeDumper
-        if safe_dict.get(k) != v:
-            dumper = SafeStringDumper
-        yamls.append(yaml.dump_all(
-            [{k: v}],
-            None,
-            Dumper=dumper,
-            default_flow_style=False,
-        ))
-    return ''.join(yamls)
+    if isinstance(x, dict):
+        yamls = []
+        safe_dict = safe_dict or {}
+
+        # Compare the top level keys so that we can find values that have
+        # equality matches (and consider those branches safe)
+        for k, v in x.items():
+            dumper = yaml.SafeDumper
+            if safe_dict.get(k) != v:
+                dumper = SafeStringDumper
+            yamls.append(yaml.dump_all(
+                [{k: v}],
+                None,
+                Dumper=dumper,
+                default_flow_style=False,
+            ))
+        return ''.join(yamls)
+    else:
+        return yaml.dump_all([x], None, Dumper=SafeStringDumper, default_flow_style=False)
 
 
 def sanitize_jinja(arg):