The Young Academy invited all Dutch academics to take the ‘Academy Thermometer’ survey between December 2023 and April 2024. The survey consisted of a validated questionnaire that will allow The Young Academy to analyse what is going well and what could be improved. What is needed to make Dutch academia a better - or even better - workplace?
The survey investigated work satisfaction, psychological complaints (depression, anxiety, stress), motivation, perceived work/publication pressure, perceived social safety and perceived support (in the university department and at home). This information provided valuable insights into the mental wellbeing of academics and into aspects of working in academia that have a positive or negative impact on mental health. The results were compared with data from other large-scale population surveys in the Netherlands.
Nearly two thousand academics took the survey
Nearly two thousand academics participated. The results have been anonymised and cannot be traced back to a specific university, for example.
Method and results
The Academy Thermometer is a quantitative survey making use of a questionnaire. Anyone working in academia, whether in teaching or research, could take the Academy Thermometer survey. The questionnaire took about 15 minutes to complete. The questions concerned work satisfaction and working conditions, work pressure, social safety and possible mental health complaints. Questions also addressed the impact of such factors as academic position and whether or not the individual had care responsibilities.
Report
The report containing the survey’s findings will be published on August 27.
Download the report
Event
The report containing the results of the Akademiethermometer will be published on August 27. During the event on September 23, speakers will reflect on the findings and recommendations from the report from various perspectives. What improvements are needed? Through discussion with attendees, we aim to take steps toward a healthy academic environment where scientific quality and mental well-being go hand in hand.
2:30–3:00 p.m.|Arrival and reception
3:00–5:00 p.m.|Program
5:00–6:00 p.m.|Reception
The moderator is Joeri Tijdink, author of the report, psychiatrist, and researcher at Amsterdam UMC (VU location). The other speakers will be announced shortly.
Register
Project group
The Young Academy members and alumni involved in this project are: Joeri Tijdink, Marie-José van Tol, Jim Portegies and Else Starkenburg.
Questions?
Contact dja@knaw.nl.