During October and November 2026, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) is conducting national surveys on staff and student experiences in relation to racism and race inequality with a view to informing national policy and practice.

Why have I received a link to participate in this survey from my higher education institution?

To ensure that the HEA survey reaches staff and students, higher education institutions that have signed the HEA Anti-Racism Principles are disseminating the survey links directly within their institution via email.

There are two surveys: one for staff to complete and one for students to complete.

The survey data is collected by the HEA and the individual responses are not visible to higher education institutions.

Who should take part?

All staff and all undergraduate and postgraduate students in higher education institutions, regardless of their personal experience of racism/race inequality.

Why should you take part?

The staff survey was first conducted in 2021; however, this is the first student race equality survey conducted by the HEA. The findings of the 2021 survey informed several targeted initiatives and policy developments. Your participation in this survey will enable us to ensure our work remains responsive and effective. The HEA is extremely grateful to all survey respondents for their valuable contributions.

You can read more about the surveys conducted in 2021 at this link, which includes access to the survey reports and information on how the findings were used to inform the HEA Race Equality Implementation Plan.

How long does survey take to complete and do I need to complete it in one sitting?

The survey takes approximately 15 – 30 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous and no IP addresses are collected. You should complete the survey in one sitting. You must click ‘submit’ on the final page for your response to be submitted.

 

Do I need to answer all the questions in the survey?

Participation in the survey is voluntary. There are no mandatory questions. All questions are optional.

When should I complete the survey?

The surveys close for responses on 30 November 2026.

Why is a content warning included in the surveys?

The surveys ask about personal experiences with racism and race inequality. Some of the language used in the survey is explicit and some people may find it uncomfortable, but it is important that we ask the questions in this way so that it is clear what we mean.

 

How are racism and race inequality defined in the survey?

The HEA follows the definition of “racism” as delineated by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth’s Anti-Racism Committee in their Interim Report to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on the 30^th of November 2020:

“We understand racism to mean the power dynamics present in those structural and institutional arrangements, practices, policies and cultural norms, which have the effect of excluding or discriminating against individuals or groups, based on their identity, as outlined in Article 1 of the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which provides: ‘…the term “racial discrimination” shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.”

Race inequality may be defined as unequal representation, unequal experiences and unequal outcomes of staff or students from minority ethnic groups.

Where can I access support if I am affected by the issues raised in the survey?

Information on national support services and helplines can be found on the HEA website: Information on national support services and helplines

Check the email you received from your higher education institution with the survey link for a list of institutional support services.

How were the surveys developed?

The surveys have been adapted from the first National Race Equality Survey of all HEIs. Questions have been adapted and developed in consultation with the HEA Advisory Group on Anti-Racism in Irish Higher Education Institutions. Membership of the Advisory Group is comprised of representatives of relevant higher education stakeholder groups and student representation, as well as specialist external agencies and experts in the area of racism/race inequality.

 

How will confidentiality be protected?

Below is a copy of the data protection and confidentiality information included in the survey.

 

Who is the Data Controller?

The HEA.

What is personal data and what is a personal data processing operation?

Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’). An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

Personal data processing operations can be any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.

Data Subject means an identified or identifiable natural person to whom personal data relates.

Personal information

To understand your answers in more context, we would be grateful if you could provide us with some personal information. We do not ask you for your name or contact details in this survey, nor do we collect IP addresses of participants, The results will be presented in summary form so no individual can be identified.

The amount of information you provide is entirely up to you; please only disclose information with which you are comfortable, but the more you provide, the more useful it will be for us when analysing your survey response.

The personal data collected is the information you provide in the Demographics section and survey responses.

What is the lawful basis for processing your personal data?

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is your consent under Article 6(1)(a) of GDPR  and processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest- Article 9 (2)(g) of the GDPR.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

If at any point you want to withdraw your consent, please email dataprotection@hea.ie. If you do that, we will update our records immediately to reflect your wishes.

Where did we get your personal data?

From the responses you provide in the survey.

The purpose for collecting the data?

The data will be used to provide an overall picture of student and staff experiences of and views on racism and race inequality across the Irish higher education sector; to inform institutional planning process in relation to racism and race inequality.

Who will have access to the information?

Access to the responses will be confined to a small group of staff within the HEA. Institution-specific data will only be shared in summary format with individual institutions for planning purposes and it will not include personal information. If we appoint a Data Processor, this will be subject to a Data Processing Agreement. Any published material will be anonymised.

What are your rights regarding your data?

You have the right to access your personal data and to request your personal data to be rectified, if the data is inaccurate or incomplete; where applicable, you have the right to request restriction or to object to processing, to request a copy or erasure of your personal data held by the data controller. If processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of the processing based on your consent before its withdrawal. Your request to exercise one of the above rights will be dealt with without undue delay and in any case within one month.

Your personal data will not be used for an automated decision-making including profiling.

How long will we retain your data?

Data will be retained in line with HEA Records Management Policy.

Why do you request demographic details in the survey?

We do not ask you for your name or contact details in this survey, nor do we collect IP addresses of participants, The results will be presented in summary form so no individual can be identified.

Demographic information is requested in order to understand your answers in more context. All questions are optional and ‘prefer not to say’ response options are provided on all demographic questions.

The amount of information you provide us with is entirely up to you; please only provide information with which you are comfortable. All information will be held confidentially in full compliance with data protection legislation as outlined below.

Respondents are asked not to identify themselves or any other people when filling in any open text boxes, as this is an anonymous survey.

How will the data be used? What will you do with the survey findings?

The data gathered will be analysed, summarised and discussed in reports that will be published on the HEA’s website and disseminated to relevant stakeholders across the higher education sector. Only aggregated data will be published. Individual survey respondents will not be identifiable. The aggregated survey findings may be presented and discussed at various fora, including the HEA Board, the National EDI Committee and Advisory Group on Anti-Racism meetings, and at conferences and seminars.

Summarised institutional level data may be shared with individual HEIs to inform their planning processes, where agreed criteria are met. Individual institutions will not be provided with demographic information or free text responses.

Contact details for enquiries regarding your personal data

Please contact dataprotection@hea.ie for any queries.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (dataprotection.ie)

All survey questions are optional.

All of the information you provide will be held confidentially in full compliance with data protection legislation as outlined below.

Please take care not to identify yourself or any other people when filling in any open text boxes.

This survey is delivered using MS Forms as part of HEA’s ICT environment, provided by Microsoft. The HEA acts as the data controller and retains full control over the survey and the data collected. Microsoft provides the underlying platform and processes data on our behalf and does not use the data for its own purposes.

All data collected through this survey will be held securely and confidentially in accordance with our cyber security and data protection policies. Responses may be reviewed within MS Forms to produce preliminary, high-level aggregated results. Responses will be exported securely from MS Forms to HEA’s internal systems for further analysis. Once the responses have been retained and stored securely, the MS Form that includes the responses will be deleted.

The HEA regrets that it is not in a position to personally meet with any individuals who provide a submission or to address personal experiences. Respondents are requested not to submit any details of experiences which are the subject of legal proceedings.

For more information on how the HEA as data controller processes personal data, please see our Data Privacy Notice.

Further questions?

If you have any questions about this survey that have not been answered by this information page, please contact EDIsurveys@hea.ie.