The Home Office Hate Crime Report 2014–15 provides evidence of reported hate crime by
protected characteristic, providing some context on the incidence of hate crime across
England and Wales. Data is not provided for the higher education sector specifically. Key
statistics for England and Wales include:
82% of reported hate crime was on the basis of race
11% were sexual orientation hate crimes
6% were religion hate crimes
5% were disability hate crimes
1% were transgender hate crimes
The Home Office report also highlighted that 34% of people who experience hate crime are
‘very emotionally affected’ compared to 14% who experience other types of crime. The
emotional and practical support for victims, whether or not they decide to report, is therefore
key to an effective institutional response.
Race
The NUS has produced a series of reports covering hate crime affecting students121 on the
basis of different protected characteristics. No place for hate: race and ethnicity122 found
that:
Racial prejudice was a motivating factor in 30% of hate incidents.
Overall, 18% of black/black British, Asian/Asian British, mixed and Chinese
respondents experienced at least one racial hate incident during their current studies,
compared with only 3% of white British students.
19% of Asian/Asian British stated they had been victimised because of a prejudice
against their racial or ethnic identity.
22% of non-EU respondents had experienced at least one racially motivated incident,
compared with 8% of EU students and 6% of UK-domiciled students.
Respondents reporting racially motivated incidents were more likely to experience
repeat victimisation than respondents reporting non-bias incidents.
The ECU also highlights that a number of institutions have become third-party hate crime
reporting centres, providing students – whether victims or witnesses – with a clear
alternative to reporting directly to the police. This can be done anonymously and the centre
can then report to the police on behalf of the student, if they choose to allow their
information to be shared.
It should be noted that both higher education and further education students (9,229) were surveyed for this
series of hate crime reports by the NUS. 68% of respondents were at university.
122 NUS, No place for hate: race and ethnicity (2012).
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