The campus climate survey's measure of campus climate was developed by drawing on nearly two-decades of campus climate research conducted at a wide variety of universities in the U.S. Given the complex, multi-faceted nature of the concept, the measure is composed of several items that gauge different dimensions or aspects of the campus social environment

Ideally, all members of our campus community would have similarly positive perceptions of the campus climate. But our perceptions of and attitudes about the social settings we inhabit are shaped by our varied – and sometimes inequitable – lived experiences, including our interactions and experiences with other members of our campus community.

Although knowledge about differences in campus climate perceptions holds substantial intrinsic value, insight about the relationship between campus climate perceptions and important outcome variables can deepen understanding of why the campus climate matters. The survey included a question that asked undergraduates, staff, and faculty how likely or unlikely they are to recommend UMass Amherst to others.

The CCS included a question about the campus racial climate, specifically. This question was included in the 2016 CCS, but current societal and campus contexts heighten its importance. Responses to this 4-point satisfaction question are quite split across all four populations.

Vast majorities of undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and faculty indicated that UMass Amherst is Very Committed or Somewhat Committed to inclusion (75%, 78%, 81%, and 83%, respectively), which is an encouraging finding. But the dashboards below reveal that perceived institutional commitment to inclusion varies by social identity aspects across all four populations.