UMass Amherst Campus Climate Survey 2021: Feelings of Connection and Friendships

Feelings of Connection and Friendships

This research brief focuses on feelings of personal connection to various University connection points (e.g., peers, major/program, work unit) for undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty, as well as institution-based friendships for members of these four populations. The brief includes interactive Tableau dashboards that allow for further engagement with and exploration of results. In part, the findings we communicate here reflect broader issues facing higher education during the return to in-person learning and work contexts after nearly two years of remote operations (see the Background and Methods research brief for more information about this context). The remote learning and work contexts dictated by the Covid-19 pandemic presented a less-than-ideal context for developing and sustaining personal connections with peers, co-workers, and other campus community members. It is important to keep this challenging context in mind when contemplating these and other Campus Climate Survey (CCS) results.

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Campus Climate Survey Engagement Guide: Connectedness and Friendships

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

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GO TO THE TOOLKIT WEBPAGE

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: Feelings of Connection and Friendships was written by OAPA and contains their thematic findings.

Prominent Points of Connection for Campus Community Members

Survey participants were asked, “At UMass Amherst, how personally connected do you feel to each of the following?” and were presented with sets of prominent connection points, including department or work unit, college/school, and peers.

Do Feelings of Connectedness Vary by Social Identity?

These dashboards will help you to further explore relationships between social identity aspects and connectedness for undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty, including feelings of connection to department, college/school, administrative units, and the University overall.

How Common Are Friendships Across Social Identity Differences?

To provide insight about the extent to which students, staff, and faculty have close connections with UMass Amherst community members whose identity characteristics are different from their own, all survey participants were asked to consider their five closest friends or acquaintances at UMass Amherst

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.