University of Kent survey

No, I can't see it either on my laptop or my phone (website on both, I didn't get on with the app). Have refreshed a few times and still not there.

Here are a few examples of the shockingly poor statements they want respondents to give their opinions on:

'People that don't menstruate or don't have a cervix should be able to identify as women'.

'God's laws about abortion, pornography and marriage must be strictly followed before it's too late'

Managed to miss this yesterday. What an utter waste of time all round. I like taking part in research but when I click on a link to a survey and find it's been so poorly constructed that I can't answer the questions in any meaningful or truthful way I give up. Garbage in, garbage out.

Could it have had postdocs' names on the survey because they are supervising an undergraduate dissertation project? That would be marginally less shocking, but still unacceptable.

Clymene, did you mean to post a link? There isn't one in your post.

any complaint about this survey will carry a lot more weight if it is made by someone external

If I'd seen it I would complain.

Here is the last page. I've deleted the names of the researchers but you can see their aim is to assess 'intentions to engage in collective action against the rights of transgender women'

Has there ever been any collective action against the rights of transgender women?

I can categorically say that any complaint about this survey will carry a lot more weight if it is made by someone external to the University, preferably by someone who saw it, anyone who has screenshots, anyone who tried to participate, etc. The more information you can give about it and the more people who write in, the better.
If you go to research.kent.ac.uk/ris-research-policy-support/ethics/
The 3rd line down gives you the name of the person to address your concerns to. She absolutely will take any complaint seriously. Ask her to refer your complaint to the Chair of the Research Ethics Committee. If it’s the same person it was year, the Chair happens to be from the Psychology Dept and her research interests include response biases and questionnaire design. So she will be well placed to form a judgment about it.
Good luck and keep us posted!

But stepping back from the dubious aims of this 'research'. Surely any serious research institute investigating any group would require the researchers to gain a good understanding of the aims and beliefs of that group? To read and understand their materials and perspective? And to do this way before approaching that group? It is such a failure of basic research that this obviously did not happen.

I noticed some American spelling amongst the questions too. I am guessing the 'God' question was actually wanting to ask 'Are you a right-wing bible-belt Christian fundamentalist with millions of dollars ?'

If you read the statements as having the built-in assumption that women who believe that sex matters believe trans people are conspiring against them and that it is important to feel part of a feminist community and that feminists feel that women are more important than other people, I can see how it would make sense to someone who isn't a woman and/or hasn't a clue what feminism actually is (and who obviously doesn't believe that women are marginalised by their biology in any way).

I think the reason I found it so insulting was because it was such a crude and insulting caricature of feminism, and to plop it into active discussions about actual women's rights issues was appalling.

Yes, exactly. At the end of the survey there is a "debrief" and a link to lots of trans organisations to learn about "transphobia". So the bias was pretty clear.

Perhaps there is more to it than it seems from this thread, but the institution(s?) involved need to be aware and to explain.

One of the researchers specialises in collective narcissism, conspiracy beliefs, collective identity and group behaviour.

They said they weren't researching this and their research field is now broader, but they wouldn't reveal the actual point of the study (as they basically admitted it wasn't actually about "women's experiences" as they had initially claimed once people realised the questions were so odd) and they said you had to PM them to find out the truth (the survey terms being that you had to agree upfront that you understood the purpose of the survey despite having been expressly told we weren't allowed to know the purpose unless we PM them).

If you read the statements as having the built-in assumption that women who believe that sex matters believe trans people are conspiring against them and that it is important to feel part of a feminist community and that feminists feel that women are more important than other people, I can see how it would make sense to someone who isn't a woman and/or hasn't a clue what feminism actually is (and who obviously doesn't believe that women are marginalised by their biology in any way).

I think the reason I found it so insulting was because it was such a crude and insulting caricature of feminism, and to plop it into active discussions about actual women's rights issues was appalling.

I do believe they're the real academics, otherwise it's massive fraud, but these postgrad researchers used the word "uncomfortability" at one point in their posts on their survey thread, which was rather strange.

But I hope that someone who does have this information will be writing to or emailing the department involved. I work in a university and when I think of all the ethics procedures we go through this is really mind-boggling. I have not seen the original, only the summarised questions here, but this really does need to be taken further. Perhaps there is more to it than it seems from this thread, but the institution(s?) involved need to be aware and to explain.

Kent Uni Twitter posts this morning say Kent Uni is good at research; "get advice on preparing a research proposal" and " ranked 1st for research intensity"
twitter.com/UniKent

The first page had the names of the researchers who are both findable on Twitter complete with pronouns.

I just don’t get the stupidity of this. These questions are just like a bad joke.

I live near this uni. This city is so fucking woke it doesn't surprise me at all. Apparently I missed it all here on the threads but if someone would PM me with details I have a few contacts to do some digging.

Both the people exist at the universities as they state

Some of the statements they asked whether you agreed with were:

• women deserve special treatment

• not many people seem to fully understand the importance of women

• if I found out my friend was having a sex change, I would freak out (sic)

It was utterly bizarre, and so insulting to post on the feminist boards in active feminist conversations. Awful.

It reminds me of things calling for people here who are xyz background.. And including indigenous people!

When it comes to this the brain is totally disengaged.

But if it was genuinely from someone affiliated with them, I'd hate to be the person having to explain it.

If it's not genuine (and surely it can't be!) I'd imagine that Kent uni would want to be informed.

Yes please chase this down, if you feel safe to do so GCmiddle