Effective equality surveys

Equality surveys are often an ideal way to enhance understanding of staff and student experiences and perceptions of equality in higher education institutions.

This practical guidance outlines a step-by-step process of designing and using surveys to gather qualitative and quantitative data, and provokes thinking on the best way for individual institutions to use surveys to understand local staff and student experiences and perceptions of equality.

Sharing hints and tips from the sector, this guidance will be useful for equality and diversity practitioners, human resources departments, senior managers and anyone involved in gathering survey data.

Areas covered by the guidance include:

• Why carry out an equality survey?
• Developing the survey
• Methodology
• Maximising response rates
• Data analysis
• Writing the report
• Using focus groups to supplement the survey
• Examples of monitoring questions
• Examples of themes and questions