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Academic freedom is essential for the pursuit of knowledge and critical thinking at academic institutions. Yet, there are many indications that academic freedom is increasingly under pressure at Dutch universities. This stems from for instance pressure to research certain topics, concerns about funding from third parties or fears of receiving social backlash when sharing research with the wider public. To investigate how academic staff members of Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ experience academic freedom, UYA generation is conducting a university-wide study on the topic.

UYA Academic Freedom Survey

How do you experience academic freedom at UU? Last year, the Utrecht Young Academy ran a survey on employees’ perceptions of academic freedom at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ regarding different areas of university life e.g. teaching, research and dissemination. It aimed to gather perspectives from UU staff regarding experiences and perceptions of academic freedom, thereby contributing to a greater understanding of how and when academic freedom is threatened. This year UYA is running the same survey again, to see whether attitudes to this issue are changing or staying the same. Once we have the results of the second survey, we will produce a short report sharing the results, highlighting any areas of concern and recommending issues for further research. 

Responses are anonymous and confidential, and the survey will only take a few minutes to complete. Your input is highly valued! Please could you also take the time to help us distribute the study across the faculties, by distributing it widely through your faculty and/or department?