{"id":180862,"date":"2025-09-10T05:35:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T03:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/her-er-de-fem-mest-og-mindst-overraskende-konklusioner-i-kus-store-inklusionsmaaling\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T07:58:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:58:34","slug":"the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is a familiar feature of the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) that it has a strategic focus on diversity, equality and inclusion. And with the release of the new inclusion survey \u2014 the first of its kind at UCPH \u2014 there is now a substantial data set to work from. The full inclusion survey is available on KUnet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More than 8,000 students and staff at the University of Copenhagen responded to all or part of the questionnaire that was sent out last year. The results include both some surprising and some more predictable findings.<\/p>\n

The survey asked participants whether they considered themselves to belong to a minority group. 43 per cent of students answered yes \u2014 as did 32 per cent of staff. It\u2019s worth noting that these are self-reported affiliations. The reports show\u00a0that both students and staff mainly experience challenges within four areas: a sense of belonging, exclusion, accessibility, and barriers to studies and career.<\/p>\n

The five most surprising findings<\/h3>\n

Parochial and inward-looking UCPH, say internationals<\/strong>
\nUCPH is an international university according to official statements. But according to the survey, international students and staff face language and cultural barriers, exclusion from social contexts, and fewer career opportunities. 35 per cent of international staff report language-related challenges at work.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong>: Academics lose status when they teach Danish with an accent<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

A foreign colleague with brown skin was told there would soon be no Danes left in the workplace<\/p>\n

Quote from a staff member in the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbI have never encountered this lack of English-language websites\/information at the other universities where I\u2019ve studied before coming to Denmark,\u00ab one comment reads. Others include:<\/p>\n

\u00bbA foreign colleague with brown skin was told there would soon be no Danes left in the workplace.\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt looks inclusive on paper, but in daily life it feels different. I experience a kind of identity crisis at the university \u2014 it wants to be international\/global but doesn\u2019t quite manage to live up to a cosmopolitan culture in its day-to-day work.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: <\/strong>UCPH’s language policy contradicts research-based education objectives<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Political minorities feel excluded<\/strong>
\nSome right-leaning students report that they are afraid to speak their minds in class for fear of social ostracism, as they perceive a predominantly left-wing mindset in their study environment.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThere\u2019s a bit of a trend that you need to have the right political views (especially left-wing, climate-focused, vegan) to be part of the social scene,\u00ab writes one student in a free-text comment.<\/p>\n

According to the survey, 39 per cent of students who define themselves as part of a political minority feel they cannot be themselves at university. For students without this affiliation, the number is 9 per cent.<\/p>\n

Technical-administrative staff feel like second-class employees<\/strong>
\nMany TAPs (technical-administrative personnel) report a more supportive and inclusive workplace culture than VIPs (academic staff) according to the survey responses. But they also report being deprioritised and belittled compared to VIPs:<\/p>\n

\u00bbVIPs behave condescendingly towards TAPs and do not acknowledge (or are unaware of) their contributions and value.\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00bbThis is not a good time to be a TAP at UCPH. I’ve never been treated or spoken of so poorly! It\u2019s scandalous and shameful for UCPH leadership to refer to staff as if they are nothing more than tasks to be completed. All consideration and inclusion are thrown out the window. It starts with the rhetoric at the top and trickles down through the entire management structure.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong>: Is the reform a foregone conclusion \u2014 or do employees have a say in the decision-making?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Discrimination in terms of the physical setting<\/strong>
\n42 per cent of students with physical disabilities report difficulty attending classes on campus. Among staff with disabilities or neurodivergence, up to a third say they sometimes or often feel excluded at work:<\/p>\n

This is not a good time to be a TAP at UCPH. I’ve never been treated or spoken of so poorly<\/p>\n

Quote from the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbThere are no social events that take people with mental or physical disabilities into account.\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00bbAccessibility for people with physical disabilities is unacceptable.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Wheelchair user: When are we going to start talking about ableism on Frederiksberg Campus?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Students feel pressure to hide parts of their identity<\/strong>
\nMany students \u2014 particularly those with minority backgrounds \u2014 report concealing aspects of their identity to fit in. This includes religion, sexuality, political views or mental health struggles. The report shows that trans people often feel the need to mask their identity in everyday life. 21 per cent of surveyed students who are gender minorities say they cannot be themselves:<\/p>\n

\u00bbI hide my gender identity out of fear of transphobic behaviour.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The five least surprising findings<\/h3>\n

Most are happy at UCPH<\/strong>
\nWhile the report focuses on problems, it\u2019s worth noting that 82 per cent of staff and 74 per cent of students say they can be themselves at UCPH, and 84 per cent feel welcome.<\/p>\n

Barriers from Danish drinking culture<\/strong>
\nMany students say Friday bars and intro parties are hard to take part in if you don\u2019t drink alcohol:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAs a Muslim student, the atmosphere is generally good among students, but alcohol is such a big part of things and it can make it hard to join in at many events, where the main focus is basically drinking and partying.\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00bbEveryone I talked to from my class who went on the [intro week, ed.] cabin trip and didn\u2019t drink alcohol felt left out. All the right things were said: that everyone is welcome, that you don\u2019t have to take part in anything you’re uncomfortable with, that alcohol isn\u2019t required to join. But in practice, it wasn\u2019t like that at all (in my opinion).\u00ab<\/p>\n

Unwritten rules, codes and language<\/strong>
\n22 per cent of student respondents say that unwritten rules and social codes at university are hard to navigate.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve witnessed inappropriate and unacceptable comments about women, whether they were present or not<\/p>\n

Quote from the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00bbThere are a lot of unspoken social norms at programme X. This includes your grades, which student organisations you\u2019re in, whether you have a relevant job and where. People judge you quickly, and you don\u2019t earn respect if you don\u2019t meet these criteria.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Underrepresented in their management, and in role models<\/strong>
\n22 per cent of students say they lack role models in their degree programme. Several also point out that UCPH leadership and teaching staff are still dominated by \u00bbolder white men\u00ab:<\/p>\n

\u00bbI experience low ethnic diversity among lecturers. And there are also more male than female professors.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> They let in the women \u2014 and nothing was ever the same<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Sexism remains a problem<\/strong>
\n5 per cent of male staff and 9 per cent of female staff see the culture at UCPH as sexist.<\/p>\n

Female PhD students and professors report weekly sexist comments and expectations of invisible work:<\/p>\n

\u00bbAs a young female PhD student in a research group that otherwise only consisted of men, there were weekly sexist remarks \u2014 for instance, about female professors who had supposedly \u00bbslept their way\u00ab into their positions.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> One in every three female PhD students in Denmark faces sexism<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00bbI\u2019ve witnessed inappropriate and unacceptable comments about women, whether they were present or not (…).\u00ab<\/p>\n

The report also contains descriptions from male staff who feel marginalised in a culture where \u00bbold white men\u00ab are spoken of negatively:<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe negative talk about old white men has become so common that it\u2019s bordering on harassment.\u00ab<\/p>\n

READ ALSO<\/strong>: Is woke (also) dead at the University of Copenhagen?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This article was first written in Danish and published on 27 August 2025. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University Post has done a deep dive into the University of Copenhagen\u2019s first major inclusion survey \u2014 here are our key takeaways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":179472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4539],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arbejdsmiljoe-en","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University Post has done a deep dive into the University of Copenhagen\u2019s first major inclusion survey \u2014 here are our key takeaways.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uniavis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-1280x854.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"854\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maria Brus Pedersen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Uniavisen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Uniavisen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maria Brus Pedersen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maria Brus Pedersen\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb\"},\"headline\":\"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1280,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Working environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/\",\"name\":\"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1366,\"caption\":\"Immatrikulation p\u00e5 K\u00f8behavns Universitet. Photo: Jonas Pryner Andersen\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/\",\"name\":\"University Post\",\"description\":\"Independent of management\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb\",\"name\":\"Maria Brus Pedersen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maria Brus Pedersen\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uniavisen.dk\\\/en\\\/author\\\/maria_brus\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post","og_description":"The University Post has done a deep dive into the University of Copenhagen\u2019s first major inclusion survey \u2014 here are our key takeaways.","og_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/","og_site_name":"University Post","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uniavis","article_published_time":"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":854,"url":"http:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-1280x854.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maria Brus Pedersen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","twitter_creator":"@Uniavisen","twitter_site":"@Uniavisen","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maria Brus Pedersen","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/"},"author":{"name":"Maria Brus Pedersen","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb"},"headline":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us","datePublished":"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/"},"wordCount":1280,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","articleSection":["Working environment"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/","name":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us \u2014 University Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-10T03:35:51+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-10T05:58:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","width":2048,"height":1366,"caption":"Immatrikulation p\u00e5 K\u00f8behavns Universitet. Photo: Jonas Pryner Andersen"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-university-of-copenhagens-inclusion-survey-this-is-what-surprised-us\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The University of Copenhagen\u2019s inclusion survey: This is what surprised us"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/","name":"University Post","description":"Independent of management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/b7dd1ffcbe0d2c4ea49ef92a35a7b7eb","name":"Maria Brus Pedersen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40ecc6e938eb818f39c144a5345e5caeee6436bb9bd5537ee4b719f2d5591fdb?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Maria Brus Pedersen"},"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/author\/maria_brus\/"}]}},"advancedCustomFields":{"expression":{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11489,"filter":"raw"},"enable_comments":true,"align_content":"alignleft","feature_color":"","article_updated":"","layout_group":[{"acf_fc_layout":"Headline","use_post_title":true,"headline":"","style":"default","highlighted_words":"","text_size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":179473,"id":179473,"title":"Immatrikulation p\u00e5 K\u00f8behavns Universitet.Photo: Jonas Pryner Andersen","filename":"immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","filesize":2635897,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/det-koensskaeve-universitet-engang-havde-vi-flere-studerende-paa-datalogi-der-hed-rasmus-end-der-var-kvinder\/immatrikulation-pa-kobehavns-universitet-photo-jonas-pryner-andersen-3-2\/","alt":"","author":"9","description":"","caption":"","name":"immatrikulation-pa-kobehavns-universitet-photo-jonas-pryner-andersen-3-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":177920,"date":"2025-08-04 07:38:28","modified":"2025-08-27 12:24:06","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2048,"height":1366,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-1280x854.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":854,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-1536x1025.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1025,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1366,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":false,"alternative_caption":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Report","text":"Uniavisen dykker ned i K\u00f8benhavns Universitets f\u00f8rste inklusionsm\u00e5ling nogensinde og giver dig de vigtigste h\u00f8jdepunkter.","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>It is a familiar feature of the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) that it has a strategic focus on diversity, equality and inclusion. And with the release of the new inclusion survey \u2014 the first of its kind at UCPH \u2014 there is now a substantial data set to work from. The full inclusion survey is available on <a href=\"https:\/\/kunet.ku.dk\/newsroom\/news\/Pages\/The-results-from-the-inclusion-survey-are-now-available.aspx\">KUnet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>More than 8,000 students and staff at the University of Copenhagen responded to all or part of the questionnaire that was sent out last year. The results include both some surprising and some more predictable findings.<\/p>\n<p>The survey asked participants whether they considered themselves to belong to a minority group. 43 per cent of students answered yes \u2014 as did 32 per cent of staff. It\u2019s worth noting that these are self-reported affiliations. The reports show\u00a0that both students and staff mainly experience challenges within four areas: a sense of belonging, exclusion, accessibility, and barriers to studies and career.<\/p>\n<h3>The five most surprising findings<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Parochial and inward-looking UCPH, say internationals<\/strong><br \/>\nUCPH is an international university according to official statements. But according to the survey, international students and staff face language and cultural barriers, exclusion from social contexts, and fewer career opportunities. 35 per cent of international staff report language-related challenges at work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/academics-lose-status-when-they-teach-with-an-accent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Academics lose status when they teach Danish with an accent<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A foreign colleague with brown skin was told there would soon be no Danes left in the workplace<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Quote from a staff member in the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbI have never encountered this lack of English-language websites\/information at the other universities where I\u2019ve studied before coming to Denmark,\u00ab one comment reads. Others include:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbA foreign colleague with brown skin was told there would soon be no Danes left in the workplace.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt looks inclusive on paper, but in daily life it feels different. I experience a kind of identity crisis at the university \u2014 it wants to be international\/global but doesn\u2019t quite manage to live up to a cosmopolitan culture in its day-to-day work.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/ucphs-language-policy-contradicts-research-based-education-objectives\/\"><em>UCPH’s language policy contradicts research-based education objectives<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Political minorities feel excluded<\/strong><br \/>\nSome right-leaning students report that they are afraid to speak their minds in class for fear of social ostracism, as they perceive a predominantly left-wing mindset in their study environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThere\u2019s a bit of a trend that you need to have the right political views (especially left-wing, climate-focused, vegan) to be part of the social scene,\u00ab writes one student in a free-text comment.<\/p>\n<p>According to the survey, 39 per cent of students who define themselves as part of a political minority feel they cannot be themselves at university. For students without this affiliation, the number is 9 per cent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Technical-administrative staff feel like second-class employees<\/strong><br \/>\nMany TAPs (technical-administrative personnel) report a more supportive and inclusive workplace culture than VIPs (academic staff) according to the survey responses. But they also report being deprioritised and belittled compared to VIPs:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbVIPs behave condescendingly towards TAPs and do not acknowledge (or are unaware of) their contributions and value.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis is not a good time to be a TAP at UCPH. I’ve never been treated or spoken of so poorly! It\u2019s scandalous and shameful for UCPH leadership to refer to staff as if they are nothing more than tasks to be completed. All consideration and inclusion are thrown out the window. It starts with the rhetoric at the top and trickles down through the entire management structure.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/is-the-reform-a-foregone-conclusion-or-do-employees-have-a-say-in-the-decision-making\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Is the reform a foregone conclusion \u2014 or do employees have a say in the decision-making?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Discrimination in terms of the physical setting<\/strong><br \/>\n42 per cent of students with physical disabilities report difficulty attending classes on campus. Among staff with disabilities or neurodivergence, up to a third say they sometimes or often feel excluded at work:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>This is not a good time to be a TAP at UCPH. I’ve never been treated or spoken of so poorly<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Quote from the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbThere are no social events that take people with mental or physical disabilities into account.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAccessibility for people with physical disabilities is unacceptable.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wheelchair-user-when-are-we-going-to-start-talking-about-ableism-on-frederiksberg-campus\/\"><em>Wheelchair user: When are we going to start talking about ableism on Frederiksberg Campus?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Students feel pressure to hide parts of their identity<\/strong><br \/>\nMany students \u2014 particularly those with minority backgrounds \u2014 report concealing aspects of their identity to fit in. This includes religion, sexuality, political views or mental health struggles. The report shows that trans people often feel the need to mask their identity in everyday life. 21 per cent of surveyed students who are gender minorities say they cannot be themselves:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI hide my gender identity out of fear of transphobic behaviour.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>The five least surprising findings<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Most are happy at UCPH<\/strong><br \/>\nWhile the report focuses on problems, it\u2019s worth noting that 82 per cent of staff and 74 per cent of students say they can be themselves at UCPH, and 84 per cent feel welcome.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Barriers from Danish drinking culture<\/strong><br \/>\nMany students say Friday bars and intro parties are hard to take part in if you don\u2019t drink alcohol:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAs a Muslim student, the atmosphere is generally good among students, but alcohol is such a big part of things and it can make it hard to join in at many events, where the main focus is basically drinking and partying.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbEveryone I talked to from my class who went on the [intro week, ed.] cabin trip and didn\u2019t drink alcohol felt left out. All the right things were said: that everyone is welcome, that you don\u2019t have to take part in anything you’re uncomfortable with, that alcohol isn\u2019t required to join. But in practice, it wasn\u2019t like that at all (in my opinion).\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unwritten rules, codes and language<\/strong><br \/>\n22 per cent of student respondents say that unwritten rules and social codes at university are hard to navigate.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019ve witnessed inappropriate and unacceptable comments about women, whether they were present or not<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Quote from the report<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbThere are a lot of unspoken social norms at programme X. This includes your grades, which student organisations you\u2019re in, whether you have a relevant job and where. People judge you quickly, and you don\u2019t earn respect if you don\u2019t meet these criteria.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>Underrepresented in their management, and in role models<\/strong><br \/>\n22 per cent of students say they lack role models in their degree programme. Several also point out that UCPH leadership and teaching staff are still dominated by \u00bbolder white men\u00ab:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI experience low ethnic diversity among lecturers. And there are also more male than female professors.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/they-let-in-the-women-and-nothing-was-ever-the-same\/\">They let in the women \u2014 and nothing was ever the same<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sexism remains a problem<\/strong><br \/>\n5 per cent of male staff and 9 per cent of female staff see the culture at UCPH as sexist.<\/p>\n<p>Female PhD students and professors report weekly sexist comments and expectations of invisible work:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAs a young female PhD student in a research group that otherwise only consisted of men, there were weekly sexist remarks \u2014 for instance, about female professors who had supposedly \u00bbslept their way\u00ab into their positions.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/one-in-three-female-phd-students-in-denmark-face-sexism\/\"><em>One in every three female PhD students in Denmark faces sexism<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI\u2019ve witnessed inappropriate and unacceptable comments about women, whether they were present or not (…).\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The report also contains descriptions from male staff who feel marginalised in a culture where \u00bbold white men\u00ab are spoken of negatively:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe negative talk about old white men has become so common that it\u2019s bordering on harassment.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/is-woke-also-dead-at-the-university-of-copenhagen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Is woke (also) dead at the University of Copenhagen?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 27 August 2025. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":4539,"name":"Working environment","slug":"arbejdsmiljoe-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4539,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":95,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11489,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/immatrikulation_y9a65902-1280x854.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180862"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180949,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180862\/revisions\/180949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}