MIT administration releases results from 2024 Quality of Life survey
11,746 students and employees answered the survey for a 43% response rate
On June 5, the Office of the Provost released the results of the Quality of Life 2024 Survey. Open to responses from faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students, the survey was open for a month between February 15 and closed on March 19. 11,746 students and employees from both the Institute’s campus in Cambridge and the Lincoln Laboratory responded in total for 43% response rate. Undergraduates responded at a rate of 38%, a slight increase from the response rate two years prior of 35%.
On the topic of work-life balance, 38% were “very satisfied” and 36% were “somewhat satisfied.” Regarding health, most reported being in good feeling “good” about their health. However, when it came to sleep, community members reported getting enough sleep on only 3.8 days per week. Nearly 75% selected “somewhat agree” and “strongly agree” in knowing how to access professional mental health services.
Amongst students, 42% of 3,870 students “strongly agree” that they can succeed academically at MIT, with 39% “somewhat agreeing.” Over 75% chose the “somewhat agree” and “strongly agree” options when asked about whether they felt they could succeed socially. When students were asked about their sense of belonging at the Institute, 38% selected“strongly agree” and 39% selected “somewhat agree.” For the MIT administration being responsive to student concerns, 31% chose a disagree option as opposed to 41% choosing an agree option.
79% of students reported that they never experienced acts of bigotry or discrimination when at MIT residences, though this dropped to 65% in academic settings. 29% felt that they were part of their residential community “very often,” and 20% felt the same about their academic community.
On the recent Institute-led initiative titled Dialogues across Difference, 75% of 10,200 respondents state it has neither affected them positively nor negatively. Additionally, 35% of community members “strongly disagree” that they were personally engaged with the issues, and 53% of students were neutral regarding the claim that diverse views regarding conflict are respected in classrooms. When the setting was expanded to student spaces outside the classroom, 43% chose a disagree option as opposed to 20% choosing an agree option.
The Institute’s Quality of Life surveys are biennial, with the next survey to be released in the spring of 2026.