In January we carried out the first quick survey of our members to ‘take the pulse’ and give insight into important issues affecting our members. We were interested to learn what level of impact the COVID-19 global pandemic has had on members’ research, education and other activities, by asking for ratings on a 7-point Likert scale from Extremely Positive to Extremely Negative. 60 responses were received so we are wary of drawing any firm conclusions, but nevertheless we found the results very interesting.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of members reported negative impacts on their work:
- For research (93% of respondents), 16% reported an Extremely Negative impact, and overall 55% reported Slightly Negative or worse impact (net 38% negative).
- For education (80% of respondents), 18% reported an Extremely Negative impact, and overall 58% reported Slightly Negative or worse impact (net 44% negative).
- For those with “other” roles (54% of respondents, eg industry practitioner 8 no., student 5 no., Government/policy 4 no. or professional body 10 no.), 17% reported an Extremely Negative impact, and overall 48% reported Slightly Negative or worse impact (net 17% negative).
Overall, the only statistically significant difference in our analysis suggests that the pandemic has negatively affected teaching more so than research, with “other” work affected less. There was no statistical difference in impact on either teaching or research between different membership, age or geography categories.
Look out for February’s ‘Pulse’ which will ask about wider impacts of the pandemic in the sector, we encourage as many members as possible to send us their responses. Please also send us any ideas you may have for future topics.
Don Ward/Michael Behm
CIB, 10 February 2021
