Centre for Hate Studies secures record grant for student harassment research

A major study that will examine harassment against university students in England has secured a record amount of funding for the University of Leicester’s College of Social Science, Arts and Humanities.

The Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester has been awarded £1 million by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to carry out the research.

Launching in January 2025, ‘A Catalyst for Change: Transforming Responses to Harassment in Higher Education’ is the largest study of its kind. The 30-month project will be undertaken across a range of higher education institutions across the country and will be supported by the Office for Students and Universities UK.

The project aims to uncover the scale and nature of students’ experiences of harassment through a series of university-wide surveys, interviews, focus groups and workshops.

The research will engage directly with home and international students who have encountered any form of harassment during their time at university, as well as with student support services and with university senior leaders to map out the future of responding to harassment in higher education.

The research builds on a pilot study undertaken at the University of Leicester by the Centre for Hate Studies in 2020. This study was the first of its kind to look at harassment targeted against any feature of a student’s identity and feeds into a sector-wide effort to address harassment and other unacceptable behaviours within the university environment.

Established in 2014, the Centre for Hate Studies is a world-leading research centre whose core mission is to transform responses to hate and hostility throughout society.

Co-Director of the Centre for Hate Studies and Director of the Institute for Policy, Professor Neil Chakraborti will lead the project.

Professor Chakraborti said: “Tackling harassment is an urgent challenge within increasingly diverse student communities, but a lack of evidence, consistency and prioritisation continue to undermine preventative efforts within higher education. Our research will address this challenge head-on by helping universities to recognise the various forms that harassment can take within different physical and digital spaces, and its impacts upon our student bodies.

“In doing so, the research will identify ways in which effective institutional support can be shaped by students’ own experiences and expectations, and by good practice from across the sector, to ensure that universities are safe and inclusive environments for all.”