Brief Summary of Results

To aid in the interpretation of the summary results, we present an abbreviated respondent profile.  Detailed aggregate information on the 20,483 individuals who completed the survey can be found in the Community Survey Report.   

Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents were students and 42% were employees.  Sixty-one percent identified as female, 38% male, and 1% as non-binary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, or other gender.  Eighty percent were White; 11% Asian, Asian American, South Asian, or Southeast Asian; 7% African, African American, Black, Caribbean or West Indian; 6% Hispanic, Latinx, or Latin American; 2% Middle Eastern; and 2% Alaska Native, Native American, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander.  As compared to the overall Penn State community, employees, women, and White people were overrepresented in the sample, while students, men, and individuals from historically marginalized minority groups were underrepresented.  

Seventy-nine percent of respondents reported being satisfied with the overall climate on their campus; 8% were dissatisfied.  Double that proportion (17%) of Black respondents expressed dissatisfaction, as did 22% of non-binary, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer respondents.  Incorporating respondent roles into analysis reveals that 30% of Black executives and administrators, as well as 31% of Black faculty and postdocs were dissatisfied with overall campus climate.  Across all racial/ethnic groups more than one in ten faculty (12%) expressed similar negative sentiments.   

Sixty-nine percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the experience or environment regarding diversity on their campuses; another 12% were dissatisfied, including almost half (45%) of Penn State’s Black employees, and a third (32%) of Penn State’s Black students.  Overall, White respondents viewed their diversity experience more positively than any other racial/ethnic group, and dissatisfaction varied by race/ethnicity from 9% of White respondents to 36% among Black respondents.  Intersecting respondents’ roles and their race/ethnicity reveals the substantial dissatisfaction expressed by several other groups including 56% of Black and 33% of Latinx faculty.  Almost a third (31%) of non-binary, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer respondents were likewise dissatisfied.   

Seventy percent of respondents reported being satisfied with the extent to which they personally experience a sense of belonging or community on their campus, while 13% were dissatisfied.  Across roles, undergraduate students and executives/administrators were most satisfied (73% and 77%, respectively); faculty/postdocs (15%), postdocs (15%) and graduate students (15%) expressed the greatest dissatisfaction.  Thirty percent of Black, as well as 19% of people identifying with two or more races, 18% of Middle Eastern, 17% of Latinx, and 15% of indigenous respondents were dissatisfied.  Likewise, 27% of non-binary, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer respondents reported dissatisfaction.  Among employees, 37% of Black respondents expressed dissatisfaction.   

Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported being satisfied with the extent to which they felt all community members experience a sense of belonging or community on their campus; 16% reported being dissatisfied, including 35% of Black respondents.  Further, 48% of Penn State’s Black employees reported dissatisfaction, as did over half (53%) of Black, women employees.  Overall, 35% of non-binary, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer respondents were dissatisfied as well. 

Additional trends across these four measures of climate, belonging, and inclusion can be revealed using the Community Survey dashboards.  For example, dissatisfaction rate among non-binary, gender nonconforming, and genderqueer respondents was at least twice that among all respondents each of these items.  Further, between 19% and 45% of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Pansexual, Queer, and Questioning respondents expressed dissatisfaction at their campus experience regarding diversity, personal experience of belonging, and feeling that all community members experience belonging on campus.  Across each of these four items, Queer respondents, in particular, expressed the highest levels of dissatisfaction.   

Just over half (53%) of all respondents agreed that their campus environment is free from tension related to individual or group differences; 26% disagreed, including 44% of executives/administrators and 39% of faculty/postdocs.  Substantial proportions of several other groups, such as 48% of employees and 28% of students with disabilities, disagreed as well.  Fifty-eight percent of Black and 49% of Latinx employees disagreed, increasing to 63% and 55%, respectively, among women in those groups.  Thirty-eight percent of all women employees disagreed with the statement.   

Fifty-six percent of respondents agreed that the recruitment of marginalized students, faculty, and staff is an institutional priority; 13% disagreed.  Across role, faculty/postdocs disagreed at the highest rates (21%), followed by graduate/professional students (18%), and executives/administrators (17%).  Thirty-five percent of Black respondents disagreed, as did 20% of Latinx and 20% of two or more race respondents.  Twenty-seven percent of non-binary, gender conforming, and genderqueer respondents did not feel that the recruitment of marginalized people is an institutional priority.   

Roughly half of respondents (52%) agreed that the retention of marginalized students, faculty, and staff is an institutional priority.  Agreement about this varied from 48% among undergraduate students to 67% of executives/administrators.  Thirty-five percent of Black respondents disagreed, as did 20% of Latinx and 22% of multiracial race respondents.  Thirty-four percent of non-binary, gender conforming, and genderqueer respondents likewise disagreed that the retention of marginalized students, faculty, and staff is an institutional priority.   

Sixty-five percent of respondents agreed that Penn State senior leadership demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus.  Fifteen percent of all Penn State employees, including 18% of faculty/postdocs, disagreed with this statement, as did substantial proportions of several groups including 38% of Black, 32% of Latinx, and 29% of multiracial race employees.   

• Two-thirds (68%) of all respondents reported having daily interactions (88% weekly) with people of racial/ethnic backgrounds different than their own over the last year; 95% expressed comfort with such interactions.   
• Most respondents (93%) reported interacting at least weekly with people across gender differences in the last year; 95% said they were comfortable doing so.  Sixty-four percent had at least weekly interactions with people of a different sexual orientation than their own, and 90% reported being comfortable with those interactions.   
• Eight in ten respondents (82%) reported interacting at least monthly with individuals from a country other than their own, and 94% said they were comfortable doing so.  Similarly, 77% had interacted at least monthly with people with a different native language, and 90% reported being comfortable doing so.  Further, while three quarters of respondents (78%) were unaware if they had interacted with undocumented immigrants in the last year, 71% indicated they would be comfortable doing so.   
• Just over half (53%) of respondents reported interactions with individuals with a disability at least monthly, and 91% expressed comfort with such interactions; still, 15% said they were not aware if they had experienced those types of interactions.   
• Though 57% reported daily interactions across socioeconomic differences (77% at least weekly), 93% expressed being comfortable doing so.   
• Interactions across religious backgrounds were a daily occurrence for 60% of respondents (83% at least monthly); 93% said they would be comfortable with those interactions.   
• A majority (56%) reported daily interactions with people holding different political affiliations, philosophies, or views (83% at least monthly), and 93% expressed comfort doing so.   
• While 59% said they had daily interactions with someone significantly older or younger than themselves in the last year (80% at least weekly), almost all (93%) said they were comfortable interacting across age differences.   
• While just over half (53%) of respondents reported interacting with military veterans on at least a monthly basis, 20% said they were unaware of having such interactions.  Most, however, (91%) suggested they would be comfortable doing so.   

Most respondents (88%) agreed that diversity on campus improves experiences and interactions in the classroom, workplace and the overall community.  A lower proportion (69%) reported feeling comfortable sharing their views on diversity, equity, and inclusion at Penn State. 

The Community Survey asked respondents if participating in a range of activities had somewhat or greatly increased or decreased their support of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), or if they had participated in such activities at all.   

• More than 60% of respondents reported that performing community service, or participating in discussions, training or activities on racial/ethnic issues had increased their support of DEI.  A third of respondents had neither engaged in activities focused on racial/ethnicity issues, nor performed community service. 
• Between 50% and 56% suggested that participating in discussions, training or activities on gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability issues, as well as attending presentations, performances, or exhibits related to diversity had increased their support of DEI.  Still, roughly 40% had not engaged in activities focused on gender/gender identity or sexual orientation, nor attended presentations, performances, or exhibits related to diversity.  Forty-eight percent had not participated in activities related to disability. 
• Between 40% and 48% of all respondents felt that participating in discussions, training, or activities on socioeconomic status issues, political issues, religious diversity issues, or immigration issues had positively impacted their support of DEI.  Close to half had not participated in activities centered on socioeconomic status, political, or religious diversity issues, and a majority (56%) had not engaged in such activities related to immigration. 
• Finally, 36% of respondents indicated that participating in discussions, training, or activities focused on military veterans’ issues had increased their support of DEI; 61% reported they had not participated in activities related to veterans’ issues. 

The survey also asked respondents to rate their agreement with several statements about diversity and inclusion.   

• 76% agreed they feel welcomed in the community surrounding their campus.  
• 82% agreed they feel safe in the community surrounding their campus.   
• 63% agreed the community around their campus welcomes people of different backgrounds.  
• 84% agreed they value campus events exploring different perspectives.   
• 90% agreed they enjoy working with people different from themselves.  
• 64% agreed they know where to find help to facilitate difficult or crucial conversations.   
• 76% agreed they are aware they hold implicit or unconscious biases.  
• 68% agreed they can identify microaggressions. 
• 64% agreed that their unit, college, or campus supports people with disabilities. 

The survey also asked respondents if they thought that Penn State senior leaders would act based on the survey results.  Overall, 47% of respondents agreed with this statement.  Across roles, disagreement varied from 15% (executive/administrator) to 26% (faculty/postdoc).  Thirty-four percent of indigenous people, 27% of Black, 25% of two or more race respondents, and 32% of respondents with some other unspecified race or ethnicity, as well as 30% of respondents with a disability disagreed that leaders will take action based on the survey. 

Overall, between 52% and 59% of respondents cited gender or gender identity, physical appearance, political affiliation and views, or age and generation as the reason for their discrimination or harassment experiences.  Forty-three percent identified racial or ethnic identity as the reason.  Socioeconomic and religious background were cited by 36% and 31% of respondents, respectively.  Some other, unlisted aspect of identity (22%) and sexual orientation (21%) were cited, as was country of origin and disability status–each of which were identified as a reason by 17%.  Immigration status was identified by 14% of respondents and 4% cited military veteran status as the reason for such an experience.  Overall, 63% of respondents indicated that their experiences of discrimination or harassment had occurred within the last year. 

Respondents who indicated that they had experienced discrimination or harassment in the last year were asked to indicate the type or form it took.  While all insidious, some types were experienced at much higher rates than others, including: experiencing derogatory remarks (60%), being deliberately ignored, isolated, left out, or excluded (59%), being stared at (41%), being intimidated/bullied (35%), and being racially/ethnically profiled (26%). 

The most cited categories of discriminatory or harassing incidents varied by role, but some types were cited by all or most role groups.  Specifically, being deliberately ignored, isolated, left out, or excluded by others, being the target of derogatory remarks, and intimidation or bullying were among the most cited by members of each role group.  Though not in the top five across each group, being stared at, as well as being the victim of racial or ethnic profiling were each experienced by substantial numbers of members of specific demographic groups (20% and 33% among multiracial respondents; 12% and 23% among Black respondents).   

Respondents were asked to indicate where the incidents they had cited occurred.  While locations varied across roles, some locations were cited consistently.  Specifically, locations including: in a departmental office or conference room (36%), in a classroom (31%), in an individual faculty or staff member’s office (25%), at a house or residence off-campus (22%), and at a program or event affiliated with or sponsored by Penn State (20%) were the most commonly cited, overall.   

The survey also included six open-ended questions that invited respondents to further describe their experiences and present their perspectives.  These questions will be addressed in Phase Two of the Community Survey project.