2023-2024 Conference Climate and Harassment Survey

INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANT:  Please DO NOT take this survey more than once!
We are conducting this survey to examine behaviors such as harassment and discrimination that might be experienced at computer science academic conferences. The survey is aimed at people who have experienced this directly - or witnessed such behavior – while participating in conferences from paper submission, through reviews and attendance.  This is an anonymous survey, and respondents will not be identified.  
 
Harassment and discrimination can take many different forms, occur in a variety of circumstances, and can be experienced in many different ways, but one thing remains the same: it is never the victims’ fault.  
 
While it is not the intention, these questions may cause emotional, physical, or health reactions. Please exercise the highest form of self-care by taking a break, exiting the survey, or seeking professional assistance. 
 
  • If you or someone that you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can reach someone trained to help by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or chatting online at SAMHSA.
IMPORTANT:  Please DO NOT take this survey more than once!
Part 1. BACKGROUND
1.What type of academic conferences do you attend most frequently?  (Check all that apply)
2.What is your current primary job role?
3.To which gender do you most identify?
4.Do you consider yourself to be gender non-conforming, gender diverse, gender variant, or gender expansive?
5.Do you consider yourself to be transgender?
6.How many in-person academic conferences have you attended in your career?
7.How many remote academic conferences have you attended in your career?
Part 2. GENERAL CLIMATE
8.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “I feel welcome when I participate in academic computer science conferences.”
9.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “People from different backgrounds have equal opportunities to participate in the computer science academic community.”
10.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:  “I feel included and my opinion is valued by senior leaders of the computer science academic community.”
11.Please indicate that you are not a bot (check only one)
12.Have you felt like your identity has affected the ability to reach your goals within the computer science academic community?
Part 3. HARASSMENT
We recognize that both harassment and discrimination can negatively impact participation in research conferences. 

This section will focus on harassment.  

Harassment is generally defined as unwelcome conduct that annoys, threatens, intimidates, alarms, or puts a person in fear of their safety.  Anyone can be a victim of harassment, regardless of age, gender, or status within the community.  

Discrimination occurs when you have been treated differently based on one’s race, color, religion, sex (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), national origin, older age, or disability.  

We will cover discrimination in the section following Harassment - Part  4. Discrimination. 
13.During the course of participating in academic conferences, from paper submission, to reviews and attendance, have you ever experienced any of the following directed at you?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
Experienced inappropriate behavior (e.g., sexual advances, academic misconduct, etc) that made you feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or not want to return to the conference
Experienced inappropriate behavior that made you feel like you were being subtly bribed with some sort of reward (e.g., career advancement or improvement, future research collaborations, tenure letters)
Experienced inappropriate behavior that made you feel threatened with some sort of retaliation for not being cooperative (e.g., the mention of an upcoming evaluation or review, or implying you would be treated poorly)?
Experienced inappropriate behavior that made you feel it was necessary for you to respond positively to inappropriate advances or social invitations in order to access career opportunities (e.g., internships, speaking invitations, research collaborations)
Been subjected to sexual remarks (e.g., crude jokes) or inappropriate comments on your appearance
Been touched without your consent or in a way that made you feel uncomfortable (i.e. touching your hand, leg, neck, etc.)
14.If you were subjected to any of the above-mentioned behaviors, please indicate whether you believe the behavior was based on any of the characteristics listed. (Check all that apply)
15.While attending an academic conference, have you ever witnessed any of the following behaviors directed at another person? (Not including something directed at you).
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
Witnessed inappropriate behavior (e.g., sexual advances, academic misconduct, etc) that made you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome on behalf of the other person?
Witnessed inappropriate behavior that made the other person feel like they were being subtly bribed with some sort of reward (e.g., career advancement or improvement, future research collaborations, tenure letters)
Witnessed inappropriate behavior that made the other person feel threatened with some sort of retaliation for not being cooperative (e.g., the mention of an upcoming evaluation or review, or implying that person would be treated poorly)?
Witnessed inappropriate behavior that made the other person feel it necessary to respond positively to inappropriate advances or social invitations in order to access career opportunities (e.g., internships, speaking invitations, research collaborations)
Overheard someone make sexual remarks (e.g., crude jokes) or inappropriate comments on the other person’s appearance
Witnessed someone being touched without the other person’s consent in a way that made you feel uncomfortable (i.e. touching the other person’s hand, leg, neck, etc.)
16.If you have experienced or witnessed harassment, what were the characteristics of the perpetrator? (Check all that apply)
17.If you have witnessed harassment, what were the characteristics of the victim/subject? (Check all that apply)
18.When a person experiences or witnesses harassment, the responses vary widely. There are no right or wrong responses. We want to understand your experience, no matter how you responded. What did you do when you experienced or witnessed harassment while attending an academic conference? (Check all that apply)
19.People make many different choices when it comes to reporting their experiences.  There are many factors that influence one’s personal decision to report or not.  We’re interested in your experiences. If you reported harassment, do you feel that you: (check all that apply):
20.People make many different decisions about reporting harassment. If you did not report harassment, please indicate why. (Check all that apply)
21.For the conferences you frequently attend, have you ever received (check all that apply):
22.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Policies and measures at computer science academic conferences are effective at preventing harassment from taking place.”
23.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Academic conferences I attend have clear policies on how to make a report of harassment‍.”
24.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “When participating in academic conferences (e.g., attending, the review process, shepherding, etc.). I am knowledgeable about what happens when someone reports an incident of harassment.”
25.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:  “I feel empowered to report harassment by another conference attendee.”
26.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:  “I feel empowered to report harassment by a conference attendee of a higher position in the research community.”