Religious and Race Hate Experience Survey: Report Findings

Abstract

Widening participation, diversity and inclusion have become the main goals to achieve in the UK higher education expansion and widening participation agenda. In April 2018, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit was awarded £50,000 from the Office for Students to undertake a two-year project and programme of work to tackle religious and race based hate crime at the Durham University. The current study is a survey investigation of the extent of hate crime incidents and patterns of reporting the incidents. All staff and students were invited to take part in the anonymous survey, generating the sample of 2,254 respondents. Of those who responded 27% indicated that they experienced a hate incident and only 20% of those who experienced also reported the incident. The survey results showed very small differences in the patterns of experiencing hate incidents motivated by race or religion across different subgroups in the sample. Reporting attitudes across ethnic minorities are different and are mainly associated with the type of hate incident experienced. The findings have research and policy implications. There is a need for establishing clear institutional polices on reporting pathways and procedures maintaining an effective system for information, help, support and advice. Research in this area must include large samples and comparative designs in the analysis.