CHANGING THE CULTURE | Page 89

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). 121 88