PhD students’ dissatisfaction with Covid support ‘concerning’

Fewer than two-thirds of postgraduate researchers at UK universities are satisfied with the pastoral support provided by their institutions during the Covid pandemic, a major survey has found.

Of the nearly 40,000 doctoral candidates who responded to Advance HE’s Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2021, only 63 per cent agreed that their university gave support for health and well-being that met their needs throughout the pandemic.

The survey, published on 3 November, found similar levels of satisfaction among doctoral students when asked if their institution had made efforts to ensure the quality of their academic experience remained high in lockdown, with 67 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied with their universities’ efforts.

The results come amid growing concern over the welfare of doctoral candidates. A recent study highlighted by Times Higher Education found that four in 10 UK PhD students who responded to a survey had experienced suicidal thoughts, with Covid lockdowns having disrupted research and the job market for early career scholars.

One postgraduate researcher quoted in the report claimed communications with PGRs had been “lacking”. “As ever the response and communication has been targeted at undergraduates,” they said, adding that the “poor communication with PGRs…demonstrates the devaluing of PGRs as an integral part of the research community”.

Another complained that there had been “massive concern over funding and extensions, confusion about access” and the “financial support office have been particularly difficult to talk to during the pandemic”.

Jonathan Neves, head of business intelligence and surveys at Advance HE, said it was “concerning that fewer than two-thirds of PGRs [postgraduate researchers] agreed that institutional support for health and well-being met their needs”.

“Improving support in this area is key to improving overall satisfaction and retention, making mental well-being a clear priority for the sector as we learn to live with Covid-19,” he said.

Despite concerns over institutional responses to Covid-19, overall satisfaction with the postgraduate research experience remained high at 79 per cent, down from 80 per cent in 2020, when the data was collected largely pre-pandemic.

It is also similar to satisfaction levels in previous years, with approval ratings ranging between 81 per cent and 86 per cent in the years since the survey began in 2007.

Overall, 87 per cent of respondents were satisfied with their supervision – higher than the 86 per cent registered in 2019 – while 78 per cent were happy with their progression over the past year.

Professional development has seen the largest decrease in satisfaction in the 2021 survey with fewer PhD students feeling able to manage their own professional development – 75 per cent in 2021, down from 79 per cent in 2019. Many called for more support from supervisors and more tailored careers support for post-PhD careers.

However, only 60 per cent of respondents felt their institution responded to their feedback, which Mr Neves said was an area of ongoing concern.

“Feeling that their institution values and responds to their feedback is one of the areas which typically receives the lowest scores from PGRs, so learning from and sustaining the measures institutions put in place to capture and act upon the PGR student voice immediately after the beginning of the pandemic could improve overall satisfaction levels,” he said.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com