Campus Climate Survey: Sense of Belonging

UMass Amherst Campus Climate Survey 2021: Sense of Belonging Matters in Important Ways

This research brief focuses on feelings of personal belonging for undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty. As illustrated, vast majorities of students, staff, and faculty feel like they belong at UMass Amherst to at least some extent. Faculty were most likely to indicate feeling like they belong “to a great extent,” whereas graduate students were least likely to do so. Without exploring breakdowns by additional social identity aspects, it would be easy to mistakenly conclude that sense of belonging at UMass Amherst is universally high among community members. Later in this report we provide a breakdown by race/ethnicity and explore results for some intersected identity aspects to show how sense of belonging varies among social identities. Follow the links for each population to see results for the four questions related to Sense of Belonging by selected demographics:

Sense of Belonging: Undergraduates

Sense of Belonging: Graduate Students

Sense of Belonging: Staff

Sense of Belonging: Faculty

The 2021 Campus Climate Survey was conducted and analyzed by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA) and was sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion. This report, UMass Amherst Campus Climate Survey 2021: Sense of Belonging Matters in Important Ways was written by OAPA and contains their thematic findings.

Campus Climate Survey Engagement Guide: Sense of Belonging

A toolkit series to guide UMass community members in understanding, interpreting, reflecting on, and responding to findings of the 2021 Campus Climate Survey.

Go to the Toolkit Webpage

Download the Toolkit [PDF]

For a deeper dive into the sense of belonging by various populations and other themes, please explore the sections below.

Commonalities and Differences

In the aggregate, a vast majority across all four populations (around 90%) report feeling like they belong to the UMass Amherst community at least “to some extent.” However, the percent who feel like they don’t belong at all exceeds 20 percent for some social identity groups.

Sense of Belonging Correlates With Overall University Experience

Belonging is widely recognized as an important concept for understanding campus climate. Studies at UMass Amherst and nationally find that individuals’ sense of belonging is tied to their overall evaluation of the campus environment and their institutional commitment.

Experiences Associated with Sense of Belonging

Analysis of sense of belonging in relation to survey participants’ experiences with unfair treatment provides insight to this question. Respondents were asked if they had experienced unfair treatment based on a range of specific social identity aspects.

Factors That Relate to a Stronger Sense of Belonging

The survey included additional indicators of “belonging,” including the extent to which individuals have a good support network, have a mentor or role model, and feel like they can openly share their point of view.

Why We Conduct This Survey

At UMass Amherst, diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our mission, our values, and our success. We conduct the Campus Climate Survey every several years to assess whether our values are reflected in the daily experience of students, faculty, staff, and visitors in order to better understand the challenges of creating an environment that is respectful and inclusive for all. The survey data collected will guide our process for diversity strategic planning in specific and tangible ways, including campus policies, priorities, and distribution of resources.

Backgrounds and Methods

In fall 2021, all UMass Amherst students and employees were invited to participate in a Campus Climate Survey to help the university better understand the challenges of creating a respectful and inclusive campus environment. The survey was sponsored by the university’s Office of Equity and Inclusion and conducted by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment. The survey included a set of core questions about campus climate perceptions and experiences at UMass Amherst, and items about social identity aspects.