Race Equality Charter survey results

From the Chair of the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team, Dr Elaine Webster

At Strathclyde, we believe in creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued and empowered. Between March-April 2025, a survey was conducted to better understand staff and student experiences regarding race equality. The survey is a mandatory element of the higher education sector’s Race Equality Charter process. It forms part of the University’s self-assessment process which the Race Equality Steering Group is leading as part of the University’s ongoing commitment to advancing equality and fostering an inclusive environment for all.

The survey included 14 questions aligned with the University’s Equality Outcomes 2021–2025, focusing on five core themes: Power, Voice, Belonging, Safety, and Representation.

A total of 276 staff and 394 students participated. Overall, staff responses showed a 56.2% positive response rate on race equality-related themes, and students reported 54.3%.

The results reveal clear patterns of difference in experience as well as some shared concerns. For example:

• White staff and students reported more positive experiences – particularly in Safety – compared to Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students/People of Colour who were more likely to feel the need to adapt their behaviour, and less confident that senior leaders would call out racially inappropriate behaviours.
• Across all groups, Voice and Representation received the lowest scores, highlighting a shared concern around inclusion in decision-making and visibility within the institution.
• Only a third of all students knew how to report racism.

A summary report and a full report, prepared by Strategy and Planning, is available for you to view.

The Self-Assessment Team is using these findings to inform the development of priority actions.

The survey also included one open-ended question. Analysis of this data will be published in a separate report once focus group consultation has been completed after the summer break. Findings will be shared in the autumn.

Thank you for your ongoing contributions to this important work.

About the Race Equality Steering Group

The role of the Race Equality Steering Group (RESG) is to advocate for and work to ensure an inclusive, welcoming and equitable working and learning environment for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students and staff. 

We are pleased to announce that from September 2024, Dr Elaine Webster will assume the role of Chairperson for the Race Equality Steering Group. Dr Webster is a Reader in the Law School and has served since 2022 as Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The RESG is sponsored by Professor Douglas Brodie, Associate Principal for Social Inclusion.

RESG works to actively understand and improve educational and employment experiences and outcomes for BAME and staff through our culture, structures, processes, and learning and teaching.

RESG was formed in 2023, and meets 3 times per year (with more frequent meetings of sub-groups). The RESG membership is comprised of representatives from across the University. RESG reports to the University’s central Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC)

The RESG is the successor of the Race Equality Working Group (REWG) convened from 2020 to 2022. In the short to medium term, the RESG is providing oversight to the University's implementation of the REWG recommendations and leading the University’s work towards Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter.