Four out of ten researchers and university teachers have been subjected to threats, hatred or harassment because of their job. Of those, 17 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men say they have considered leaving academia, according to a report from the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg.
The study was carried out in collaboration with SULF and the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions. It is based on a survey completed by 2,995 SULF members. In addition to thinking about changing jobs, those who have been subjected to threats, hatred or harassment report a range of other negative consequences.
Some have refrained from speaking out in their capacity as researchers; others have changed their field of research or teaching; a number have been discouraged from involvement in certain fields or influenced to change decisions.
“It shows that this is a problem that impacts not only individuals, but also the type of teaching that takes place and participation in public debate,” says David Brax, a senior researcher at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research and author of the report.
David Brax
Senior researcher at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, University of Gothenburg.
Thirty-nine per cent of all respondents also say that the fear of threats, hatred or harassment has negative consequences. Eight per cent of women and six per cent of men in this category have considered leaving academia.
“The risks cause people to censor themselves and avoid exposing themselves to risk,” says Brax. “So even at that point, you can say that the damage has been done. Damage that cannot be measured in terms of vulnerability.”
Of the respondents who have been subjected to threats, hatred or harassment, 409 people say that this has happened in the past year. Around half say that the perpetrator is a student, while two out of ten report that the perpetrator was a colleague.
Most cases where students are perpetrators occur in teaching or supervision situations. When colleagues are behind it, it usually happens when research is ongoing or when results are published.
“The fact that teaching situations, by some margin, are the most common arena for this type of behaviour is an important finding. It determines how we should work to combat it. It’s not enough just to tell people to avoid social media or to lock their doors if their colleagues and students are the ones behind it.”
The fact that students and colleagues make up the majority of perpetrators does not mean that external threats are not serious, says Brax.
“But we can’t focus all our energy there. I think there has been a tendency to focus on external threats because they are more spectacular, more clearly linked to the threat to democracy.”
It can be more complicated to deal with situations that do not involve protecting employees from external attacks, he says.
“It may well be the case that the organisation has health and safety responsibilities for both parties in a conflict,” he continues.
The study also shows that women experience more threats, hatred and harassment than men. Women also have greater fear of being victims.
The survey was conducted during the pandemic, says Brax, which may have impacted the results.
“We know that students were very unhappy and frustrated about the way the transition to distance learning was managed. It’s reasonable to believe that this type of situation caused friction.”
Studies: How academic staff are intimidated
In the University of Gothenburg study, 39 per cent of the 2,995 surveyed researchers and university teachers said they had been subjected to threats, hatred or harassment at work. Among women, 45 per cent had been victims at least once, while the figure for men is 32 per cent.
The most common ways respondents had encountered threats, hate or harassment were by email (18 per cent), verbally (11 per cent), on social media (9 per cent) and by telephone (7 per cent).
One third of respondents did not know what to do if they are threatened or harassed. Two thirds could not answer whether their workplace has an action plan to deal with threats, hatred or harassment.
The Union of Civil Servants (Fackförbundet ST) which organises civil servants at Swedish state agencies, conducts regular work environment surveys. In its 2024 survey, 15 per cent of the members in the university and college section who responded reported that threats or violence occur at work. Of these, 44 per cent reported that they had encountered this by email, 33 per cent by telephone and 57 per cent during an in-person meeting.
Sources: The Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg; The Union of Civil Servants
