Boniuk Institute researchers shared findings from the 2024 Boniuk Institute Student Survey on Religion at Rice University with a group of 10 Jewish and Christian campus religious leaders. Key findings from the survey--conducted in March of 2024 and compared against a representative US sample--include
- The Rice University student population is more religiously diverse than the general US population, with nearly one quarter of the student population identifying with a religious tradition in the minority in minority in the US.
- Although the majority of students feel supported and accepted in their religious tradition at Rice, there is broad support among the student population for greater religious accommodation--especially in the observance of holidays and dining options--and religious literacy to help promote tolerance and inclusion at the university.
- The war between Israel and Gaza weighed heavily on students with many (44% undergraduate and 42% graduates) reporting a negative impact on their mental health.
- A sizeable minority report being judged for their religious or non-religious identity (35% of undergraduates and 22% of graduates), which is comparable to reports in the general population.
- Students largely feel accepted in their religious or non-religious identity from faculty but experience lower levels of acceptance from their peers.
Campus Ministers asked about concrete ways that they can foster religious literacy among the students they work with, and indicated a need to facilitate dialogue between students, who often seem reluctant to engage in discussions on difficult or potentially offensive subject matter, leaving much unsaid.
Read more about the findings from the 2024 Boniuk Institute Student Survey on Religion at Rice University.