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Survey Definitions

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Common survey terms and their definitions

Role (select one)

The primary affiliation of the survey respondent with the university. This is predominantly determined by self-reported data in the survey. Respondents could have selected one of the following five categories:

Undergraduate or coterm student
Graduate student (including professional school student)
Postdoc
Staff member (including academic/teaching staff such as lecturers and visiting scholars)
Faculty member or clinician educator

Institutional data was used to distinguish between faculty and clinician educators. 

Note: We are aware that survey respondents may identify with more than one role at the university. The survey allowed the respondent to select a single role for which they would like to take the survey.

Race/ethnicity identity (check all that apply):

Racial/ethnic data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. The categories in the report and dashboards are the same categories that were presented in the survey. They are as follows:

American Indian or Alaska Native (e.g., Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe, Inupiat Traditional Gov't., etc.)
Asian or Asian American (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, South Asian, Vietnamese, etc.)
Black or African American (e.g., Jamaican, Nigerian, Haitian, Ethiopian, etc.)
Hispanic or Latino/a (e.g., Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, Salvadoran, Colombian, etc.)
Middle Eastern or North African (e.g., Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Israeli, Palestinian, etc.)
Native Hawai`ian or Pacific Islander (e.g., Samoan, Guamanian, Chamorro, Tongan, etc.)
White or European (e.g., German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, French, etc.)
My race or ethnicity is best described as:  (Feel free to use the text box and/or you can simply select categories above.)
Prefer not to say

Note: The categories in the survey and in the report do not reflect the Federal reporting standards that Stanford commonly uses. (See IDEAL dashboards for more detail.) 

Racial/ethnic identity appears in all of the dashboards, but sometimes with slight differences.

Below are the different versions that appear in the dashboards.

Race (all dashboards): This comparison group displays the categories that were presented in the survey (see above for list of categories). Survey respondents could select multiple categories. This means that survey respondents could be reflected in more than one category in the report and dashboards. For example, a respondent who identifies as both Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino/a is represented in both categories. 

Respondents who selected “prefer not to say” are not included in this comparison group. Respondents who selected “Best described as” are not included in this comparison group in the belonging and experience dashboards.

Race Selection Combinations (demographic dashboards): Survey respondents could select multiple race/ethnicity categories. This view displays the combination of categories that a survey respondent selected. This means that a survey respondents is only reflected in one category in the report and dashboards. For example, a respondent who identifies as both Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino/a is represented as “Black or African American + Hispanic or Latino/a.” 

Respondents who selected “prefer not to say” are not included in this comparison group. 

Racial/ethnic detail:

Survey respondents were presented the opportunity to provide additional detail about their race, ethnic heritage, or national origin for each of the race/ethnicity categories they selected in the survey. Researchers extracted common descriptions from textual responses and organized these into more detailed demographic categories. These categories can be explored in the demographic dashboards. (This variable is in the demographic and belonging dashboards)

Religious identity (check all that apply):

Religious identity data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. The categories in the report and dashboards are the same categories that were presented in the survey. 

Religious identity appears in the demographic and belonging dashboards, but with slight variations.

Below are the different versions that appear in the dashboards.

Religion: This comparison group displays the categories that were presented in the survey (see instrument for list of categories). Survey respondents could select multiple categories. This means that survey respondents could be reflected in more than one category in the report and dashboards. For example, a respondent who identifies as both “Agnostic” and “Atheist” is represented in both categories. (This variable is in the demographic and belonging dashboards)

Religion Selection Combinations: Survey respondents could select multiple religious identity categories. This view displays the combination of categories that a survey respondent selected. This means that a survey respondents is only reflected in one category in the report and dashboard. For example, a respondent who identifies as both “Agnostic” and “Atheist” is represented as “Agnostic + Atheist”. (This variable is in the demographic dashboards)

Country of Origin:

Country of origin data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey.  For those who did not select a country of origin, but reported in the adjacent survey question that they identified as being from the U.S., they are reflected in the “U.S.” category in this comparison group. (This variable is in the demographic dashboards)

Race Selection Combinations + Country of Origin:

Survey respondents could select multiple race/ethnicity categories. This view displays the combination of race/ethnicity categories that a survey respondent selected, in addition to the country of origin the respondent reported in the survey. (This variable is in the demographic dashboards)

Note: Survey respondents are only included in this comparison group if they answered both questions - race/ethnicity and country of origin. Survey respondents who either did not answer one or both questions or answered “Prefer not to say” are not included in this comparison group. 

Race + Religion Selection Combinations:

Survey respondents could select multiple race/ethnicity categories as well as multiple religion categories. This view displays the combination of race/ethnicity categories and religious identity categories that a survey respondent selected. Survey respondents are only reflected in one bubble in this view. For example, a respondent who identifies as both Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino/a and as both “Agnostic” and “Atheist” is represented as “Black or African American + Hispanic or Latino/a + Agnostic + Atheist” (This variable is in the demographic dashboards)

Note: Survey respondents are only included in this comparison group if they answered both questions - race/ethnicity and religious identity. Survey respondents who either did not answer one or both questions or answered “Prefer not to say'' are not included.

Gender identity (check all that apply):

Gender data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. The categories in the report and dashboards combine responses from two adjacent questions in the survey. The first asked about gender identity, and the second asked about trans identity. When combined, the categories from both questions are as follows:

My gender or gender identity is best described as:
Gender nonconforming
Genderqueer
Man
Nonbinary
Questioning
Woman
trans

Respondents are reflected in every category they selected. For example, a respondent whose gender identity is Woman and who identifies as trans is reflected in both categories. A survey respondent who does not select a gender identity, but identifies as trans is reflected as trans. Similarly, a survey respondent who identifies as woman, but does not identify as trans is reflected as Woman. 

Note for trans identifying respondents:

In the survey, respondents were presented with the following question: “Do you identify as transgender or under the trans umbrella?” (Survey response options were “Yes,” “No” and “Prefer not to say.”) Survey respondents who reported identifying as trans are reflected both by their trans identity, as well as every other gender identity they selected. For example, a respondent whose gender identity is Woman and who identifies as trans is reflected in both categories. A survey respondent who does not select a gender identity, but identifies as trans is reflected as trans in the gender identity demographic group in the report and dashboards. Similarly, a survey respondent who identifies as woman, but does not identify as trans is reflected as Woman in the gender identity demographic group.

Note: The categories in the survey and in the report do not reflect the Federal reporting standards that Stanford commonly uses that refers to biological sex.  (See IDEAL dashboards for more information.) Survey respondents who did not answer both questions, or selected “Prefer not to say” for both questions are not included in the comparison group. 

Gender identity appears in all dashboards, but with slight variations. 

Below are the different versions that appear in the dashboards.

Demographic and Belonging dashboards: In the demographic dashboards, all gender identity categories except for “Prefer not to say” are included in the comparison group. In the belonging dashboards, all categories except for “Prefer not to say” and “Best described as” are included in the comparison group. There were too few respondents in the “Best described as” category to display the results for this particular group. We also don’t know, without community feedback, how to create categories out of disaggregated data that would be meaningful. 

Experience dashboards: In the experience dashboards, several categories were aggregated into a larger “Gender Non-Binary” group to protect the privacy of respondents given small numbers of respondents in these categories among certain populations. The combinations for gender identity included in the experiences dashboards are as follows. 

Gender Non-binary: Gender nonconforming, Genderqueer, Nonbinary
Man
Questioning
Woman
trans

Non-binary versus nonbinary:

In the dashboards, these two terms are found in the gender identity demographic group. The former (non-binary) is an aggregated category, consisting of gender nonconforming, genderqueer and nonbinary). The latter (nonbinary) reflects one of the gender identity categories presented in the survey. 

Sexual identity (check all that apply):

Sexuality data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. The categories in the report and dashboards are the same categories that were presented in the survey. They are as follows:

My sexual identity is best described as: 
Asexual
Bisexual
Gay
Heterosexual or straight
Lesbian
Queer
Questioning

Prefer not to say

Sexual identity appears in all dashboards, but with slight variations. 

Below are the different versions that appear in the dashboards.

Demographic and Belonging dashboards: In the demographic dashboards, all sexual identity categories except for “Prefer not to say” are included in the comparison group. In the belonging dashboards, all categories except for “Prefer not to say” and “Best described as” are included in the comparison group. There were too few respondents in the “Best described as” category to display the results for this particular group. We also don’t know, without community feedback, how to create categories out of disaggregated data that would be meaningful.

Experience dashboards: In certain instances and dashboards, several categories were aggregated into a larger group to protect the privacy of respondents given small numbers of respondents in these categories among certain populations. The combinations for sexual identity included in the experiences dashboards are as follows. 

Asexual
Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, or Queer
Heterosexual or straight
Questioning

Prefer not to say

Note: Survey respondents could select multiple categories. This means that survey respondents could be reflected in more than one category in the report and dashboards. For example, a respondent who identifies as both Heterosexual or straight and Questioning is represented in both categories. 

LGBTQ+:

These designations draw from both the self-reported gender and sexual identity. The three categories that comprise this comparison group are defined as follows. 

Heterosexual man: Respondents selected “Man” and “Heterosexual or straight” and no other gender or sexual identity categories
Heterosexual woman: Respondents selected only “Woman” and “Heterosexual or straight” and no other gender or sexual identity categories
LGBTQ+: Respondents selected at least one of the following categories for gender identity (could have been in addition to Man or Woman): Genderqueer, Gender nonconforming, Gender nonbinary, Gender questioning, trans; 

AND / OR

One of the following categories for sexual identity (could have been in addition to “Heterosexual or straight”): Asexual, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Questioning.

Note: Survey respondents who either did not answer one or both questions or answered “Prefer not to say” for both are not included in this comparison group. (This variable is in all dashboards)

Politics (single one):

Data about where respondents identify when it comes to politics in the United States are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 11 categories; respondents could select one category from the list. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” are not included in the comparison group. 

Note: We asked respondents “When it comes to politics in the United States, where would you place yourself on this scale?

(This variable is in the demographic and belonging dashboards)

Age (select one):

Age data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 7 categories; respondents could select one age range from the list. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” are not included in the comparison group. (This variable is in the demographic and belonging dashboards)

Low income background (select one):

Low income background data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 4 categories - Yes, No, I’m not sure and Prefer not to say; respondents could select one response. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” or “I’m not sure” are not included in the comparison group. (This variable is in all dashboards)

First generation (first gen) college students (select one):

First gen data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 8 categories; respondents could select one response. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” or “I’m not sure” are not included in the comparison group. Several categories were aggregated into three larger groups to protect the privacy of respondents given small numbers of respondents in these categories among certain populations. The categories are as follows: 

First Gen: 2 year college degree, High school, less than high school

Continuing Gen (4 year): 4 year college degree
Continuing Gen (Post grad): Masters degree, Professional or doctoral degree

(This variable is in all dashboards)

Note: First gen does not connote “FLI.” It is specifically about the respondents' parents’ highest level of education. Low income background is reported separately in the report and dashboards. (See above for the definition of low income background.)

From the US (select one):

Data about identifying as from the U.S. are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 3 categories - Yes, No and Prefer not to say; respondents could select one response. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” are not included in the comparison group. (This variable is in all dashboards)

Note: The survey did not ask about citizenship. Data about identifying from the U.S. does not connote citizenship status. This data does not reflect Country of Origin. See above for how Country of Origin is defined in the report and dashboards. 

English as a native language (select one):

Native language data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 3 categories - Yes, No and Prefer not to say; respondents could select one response. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” are not included in the comparison group. (This variable is in all dashboards)

Disability status (select one):

Disability data are self-reported and derived from answers to questions in the survey. Respondents were presented with 3 categories - Yes, No and Prefer not to say; respondents could select one response. Respondents who selected “Prefer not to say” are not included in the comparison group. (This variable is in all dashboards)

Note: Survey respondents who selected “Yes” were presented with a follow-up question to provide additional detail. That additional detail is not incorporated in this comparison group.

Psychological safety:

The items that comprise psychological safety in the survey were drawn from an existing battery of items tested by Edmondson, 1999. According to Edmonson, “Psychological safety involves but goes beyond interpersonal trust; it describes a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.” (Edmondson, 1999)

Verbal, written, or online harassing behaviors:

Respondents were directly asked: During the last two years at Stanford (or fewer, depending on when you joined Stanford), have you ever experienced verbal, written, or online harassing behaviors by someone associated with Stanford?

For example:
Someone made a derogatory remark or gesture in person or online
Someone sent Someone made a derogatory remark or gesture in person or online  
Someone sent me a derogatory email, text, or social media post  
Someone defaced property with derogatory graffiti  
I was embarrassed, humiliated, or threatened by someone in person or online

Note: Respondents who indicated in the survey that they experienced verbal, written, or online harassing behaviors due to their gender identity, sexual identity, or trans identity were asked a follow-up question asking about experiences with sexual harassing behaviors. 

Physical harassing behaviors:

Respondents were directly asked: During the last two years at Stanford (or fewer, depending on when you joined Stanford), have you ever experienced physical harassing behaviors by someone associated with Stanford?

For example:
I was threatened with physical violence
I experienced physical violence
Someone tried to touch me without my consent
I was touched in a way that I did not want

Note: Respondents who indicated in the survey that they experienced physical harassing behaviors due to their gender identity, sexual identity, or trans identity were asked a follow-up question asking about experiences with non-consensual sexual contact

Discriminatory behaviors:

Respondents were directly asked: During the last two years you have been at Stanford (or fewer, depending on when you started at Stanford) have you ever experienced discriminatory behaviors by someone associated with Stanford?

For example:     
Denied or overlooked for a promotion
Unfair or unjust hiring practice
Unfair or unjust disciplinary actions
Denied or overlooked for professional development or mentorship opportunities
Received a low performance evaluation
Denied physical or mental health services
Assigned an undesirable or unimportant task
Denied leave request (including vacation)
Denied equitable compensation
Denied recognition in research publication

For example:  
Denied tenure
Denied reappointment
Denied full professorship
Denied or overlooked for a leadership opportunity (e.g., Chair position, committee membership, etc.)
Denied sabbatical 
Denied physical or mental health services

For example:  
Graded unfairly by professor/instructor
Denied any student services
Discouraged from pursuing a particular major
Discouraged from participating in a program or research opportunity
Discouraged or denied from participating in a club or social organization
Denied or overlooked for a mentorship opportunity
Denied physical or mental health services
Denied equitable compensation
Denied necessary accommodations


Microaggressions:

“Microaggression” is used as a term for commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental slights, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward stigmatized or culturally marginalized groups (Sue 2010). Racial microaggressions are “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color because they belong to a racial minority group” (Sue 2007).

The term “microaggression” did not appear on the survey. It is used in our reporting as a categorization of a set of specific experiences that were presented to survey respondents. Survey respondents were asked about four types of negative interpersonal interactions they may have had at Stanford. These four types of interactions are referred to as microaggressions in the survey findings. The four questions asked in the survey were derived and adapted from existing literature on microaggression. The four questions are: 

During the last two years you have been at Stanford (or fewer, depending on when you started at Stanford), has someone associated with Stanford…

Invalidated your individual lived experiences due to your racial or ethnic identity? 

For example:
Someone told me that they “don’t see color” or we should not think about race anymore
Someone told me that people of color don't experience racism anymore
Others assume that people of my racial background would succeed if they simply worked harder
Someone assumed that I had a particular skill set due to my race or ethnicity (e.g., good at math and science, athletic ability)

Assumed you were inferior due to your racial or ethnic identity?

For example:    
Someone told me that I was “articulate” after she/he/they assumed I wouldn’t be
Someone acted surprised at my scholastic or professional success
Someone assumed that I was poor
Someone assumed I come from a disadvantaged background

Acted as if they were afraid or wary of you due to your racial or ethnic identity? 

For example:
Someone avoided walking near me on the street
Someone clenched her/his/their purse or wallet upon seeing me
Someone’s body language showed they were scared of me
I am singled out by police or security people
A store owner followed me around the store

Made you feel othered or exoticized due to your racial or ethnic identity?

For example:  
Someone did not believe me when I told them I was born in the U.S.
Someone assumed that I spoke a language other than English
Someone wanted to date me only because of my race/ethnicity
Someone suggested I was "exotic"
Someone told me that all people in my racial group look alike or are all the same

References

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Wiley. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-0-470-49140-9.

Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: implications for clinical practice. American psychologist, 62(4), 271.

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 350-383