Research Design

Two sets of methods have been employed to capture current and former colleagues' experiences of precarious working conditions: an online survey and focus groups and interviews. Full details of these activities can be found below.

Online Survey

An online survey was distributed to current and former employees in UK Geography departments. This resulted in a dataset that reflects the opinions of approximately 10% of all teaching and research staff currently working in UK higher education Geography departments.

The data has informed our States of Precarity report and Best Practice Action Plans. 

Focus Groups and Interviews

Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with all respondent groups from the survey (permanent contract holders, fixed term contract holders, PhD students, former employees), and with heads of department from different Geography departments across the country. Our aim was to review and refine our Best Practice Action Plans.

 

The Survey

Background

The States of Precarity survey is now closed. Thank you to everybody who contributed their voices to the project. If you would like to still contribute your own reflections, please contact us on statesofprecarity@gmail.com. We will also be conducting focus groups in 2024/25. Please let us know if you would be interested in participating in these sessions. 

Aims

The States of Precarity project aims to explore the varied effects of precarity in UK academic Geography. Working in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute for British Geographers), it seeks to better understand the immediate and long term effects of precarity on staff, research postgraduates, and those who have chosen to leave academia; to provide a snapshot of the far-reaching implications of workplace precarity on the discipline; and to inform the development of best practice guidelines for UK Geography Departments. 

Timeline

The survey was open for responses between 24th July and 24th October 2023. 

Participants

Participants were not limited to people who held fixed-term contracts. We are interested in understanding the cultures around fixed term contracts and their long-term effects, as well as wider perceptions on precarity within geography. The survey was consequently open to everyone working (or who had worked) within UK geography - from PhD students to Professors.

Findings

Findings will be shared on this website and through academic publications shortly. Please watch this space!

Consent

Participation in the study was based on informed consent. A participant information sheet was provided at the beginning of the survey and participants had to answer a series of questions indicating their consent before they could access the rest of the survey.

Data Management

All responses collected were anonymous, and the project will adhere to all relevant UK data laws. 

  • In its collection, storage and dissemination of data, the project will follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR) principles of lawfulness, fairness and transparency (accessible here). 
  • The project will adhere to the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act (2018) (accessible here). 

Personal data was obtained lawfully, only as appropriate (i.e. not excessive) for the project, will be used for the stated purpose, will be processed in accordance with the above laws, and will be captured, stored and communicated in a way that protects it against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss or destruction. 

The dataset from the study (i.e. data from all participants) will be preserved and made available in anonymised form, so that other researchers can consult and re-use it. Anonymous excerpts from responses may be quoted or paraphrased in project materials (e.g. reports, journal articles, blog posts, web pages).

Withdrawal

All survey responses were anonymous at point of collection. This means that specific responses cannot be identified after submission, so it is not possible to withdraw from the survey after clicking 'submit'. Participants were informed of this arrangement before participating in the survey.

Questions or Concerns

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact statesofprecarity@gmail.com 

Sample Demographics

Sample Size

We received 364 valid responses from individuals who work, have worked, or are currently PhD candidates within UK higher education geography departments.

 

Of these respondents, 285 currently hold either a permanent or fixed term contract. 

 

These numbers compare favourably to recent estimates by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA, 2022) of the numbers of people employed within UK higher education departments specialising in geography and environmental science (N=2505).

 

Our survey therefore represents the views of approximately 10.6% of all currently employed UK geographers.

Contract Types

HESA reveals that, as of 2022, 67.9% of geographers (N=1700) were employed on open-ended/permanent contracts. 32.1% (N=805) were employed on fixed term or atypical contracts.

 

Of the 285 respondents in our sample who hold either a permanent or fixed term contract, 53.7% (N=154) were permanently employed and 46.3% (N=133) were employed on fixed term contracts.

 

A similar weighting towards permanent contracts can therefore be seen in our sample, but more respondents held fixed term contracts than the national average.  This is unsurprising given that fixed term contracts have tended to be closely associated with these experiences.

Area of the Discipline

Subject specialisms are difficult to ascertain from publicly available datasets, but based on recent REF return data, the RGS estimates that there is a roughly 50:50 split between human and physical sides of the discipline in terms of staff numbers. 

 

Human geographers, physical geographers, and interdisciplinary researchers were all well represented in our sample. However, human geographers were comparatively over-represented  (56.9%, N=207). 

Gender

HESA data suggests that only 42.1% (N=1055) of individuals working in UK geography departments are female.

 

However, significantly more women than men participated in our survey (56.9% of respondents, 55% of respondents currently employed in UK geography departments. This may indicate that precarity is particularly acutely experienced by female members of staff.

 

Relatively few non-binary individuals or people with self-defined genders participated in the survey (N=9), and only 4 such respondents held permanent or fixed term contracts.  

 

Age

Data on the age of staff members employed within UK geography departments is currently not publicly available. 

 

The age of respondents in our sample was highly varied, but all age groups (under 30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+) were well represented. 52% of our sample were under the age of 39, potentially indicating that precarity may not be exclusively experienced by early career staff.

Ethnicity

HESA data suggests that 89.2% of the total staff employed within UK geography departments are white.

 

Our sample population accurately reflects this distribution. 89% of those surveyed were white, rising to 90.2% of respondents who are currently employed within UK geography departments. 

Nationality

HESA data indicates that 68% of all staff employed in UK geography departments are British. 

 

 

Our sample again accurately reflects this distribution. 69% of our respondents, and 70% of respondents who were currently employed within UK geography departments defined themselves as being British.

Disability

HESA statistics suggest that 6.8% of individuals working within UK geography departments in 2022 identified as having a disability. 

 

In our sample, 11% (N=40) of respondents identified as being disabled. This is marginally higher than the national average and potentially speaks of disabled experiences of precarity.

Caring Responsibilities

Recent data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that 9% of the UK population has caring responsibilities (ONS, 2021).

 

However, a significantly larger proportion of our sample (32.4% of respondents employed within UK geography departments) reported having caring responsibilities. This may suggest caring-related dimensions to precarity.

Focus Groups

Background

Online focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used to refine the Best Practice Action Plans. These are designed to equip individual colleagues as well as those in key leadership and administrative roles within UK Geography departments with the tools to better support people on FTCs and facilitate conversations and action around academic precarity. 

Format

Focus Groups were mainly held on Microsoft Teams and lasted 90 minutes. Each was organised around specific respondent types (permanent contract holders, fixed term contract holders, PhD students, former employees), with each focus group focusing on the following topics:

  1. The overall design and purpose of the Best Practice Action Plans.
  2. The specific recommendations within the sections of the plans most pertinent to those respondents

Semi-Structured Interviews took a similar format but were conducted with individual respondents who could either not make the times of existing focus group sessions, or who preferred to provide their responses privately.

What data collection activities were conducted?

The following focus groups were conducted:

  • Two focus groups with permanent contract holders
  • Two focus groups with fixed term colleagues
  • One focus group with PhD students
  • One focus group with former employees
  • One focus group with Head of Departments

We additionally held:

  • One in-person forum with PhD students
  • Three online interviews with UK HE Geographers

Recruitment

Participants were recruited through a range of strategies. These included:

  • Direct Contact. This was primarily used for contacting individuals who had indicated their desire to participate in the interviews and focus groups via the survey. 
  • Social Media and Public Mailing Lists. We circulated open calls for participation targeting specific respondent groups (permanent contract holders, fixed term contract holders, PhD students, former employees) via the Critical Geography Forum mailing list (JISCMAIL) and BlueSky. 
  • Private Mailing Lists. Heads of Department were contacted via a private mailing list held by the Royal Geographical Society.

Timeline

The focus groups and interviews were conducted between 1st March and 30th May 2025.