Less than half of Jewish students feel supported on campus, poll finds
Global Student Living survey reports 33 percent of Jewish students are confident their university cares for their wellbeing, compared to 64 percent of Muslim students
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
A new poll from Global Student Living — which bills itself as the world’s leading student data and insight platform — says that Jewish students have a high level of anxiety about the way their university or college regards them.
The GSL survey took in the views of 40,000 students from more than 100 universities across the UK. The data was acquired between October 1 and December 5 this year.
Asked if they agreed that their university “cares about their wellbeing”, overall, less than half of Jewish students accepted this proposition. And the figures showed a steep drop — from 58 per cent who, at the beginning of the survey, believed their university cared about them — to just 33 per cent by the end of November. GSL said that “this precipitous drop underscores the urgency of addressing the specific challenges faced by Jewish students and fostering an inclusive and supportive campus environment”.
This is in “stark contrast”, say GSL, “to the sentiments of Muslim students, among whom 64 per cent feel their university is concerned about their welfare, compared with 65 per cent of the general student population”.
Tim Daplyn, the chief executive of GSL, said: “We know that many institutions have made substantial efforts to reassure and support both Jewish and Muslim students through what has been a traumatic period for many, so this new data will be disappointing. What’s clear is that efforts need to be redoubled and sustained when students return to campuses in the new year to ensure that all students feel the security and sense of belonging they need to thrive.”
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