Major survey on Exposure to Violence, Discrimination and Racism during studies

From 19 January to 1 March 2026, all students at Nantes Université (including Centrale Nantes, l'école nationale supérieure d'architecture de Nantes, the School of Art Nantes Saint-Nazaire, the training institutes of Nantes University Hospital and the IRT Jules Verne) are invited to take part in a major survey on Exposure to Violence, Discrimination and Racism during studies.

Victims, direct witnesses or otherwise: every voice counts. The simple act of responding is in itself a commitment to making things change!

This initiative responds to several objectives…

  • To identify and understand situations of violence (including gender-based and sexual violence), discrimination and racism that our students may face, as victims or witnesses
  • To improve their study conditions and better understand the difficulties that may affect their academic, professional or personal journeys
  • To disseminate more widely the listening, reporting and support systems available

... and is part of a long-term commitment

This initiative follows on from the first survey "Living conditions during studies and exposure to gender-based and sexual violence", conducted in 2023. This led to the development of a prevention and action plan against gender-based and sexual violence in 2024, in order to strengthen Nantes Université's prevention measures. Some examples of actions implemented as part of this plan:

  • Free consultations with specialist lawyers through the agreement with the Nantes Bar Association
  • The renewal of the 2023 survey
  • The implementation of the MOOC "Stop VSS!" (Stop Gender-based and Sexual Violence)

Nantes Université refuses all forms of violence. Our responsibility is to ensure that everyone has a respectful and safe study and work environment. For several years, we have been taking concrete action: listening unit, support for victims, prevention and awareness-raising initiatives. I invite the entire student community to take part in this survey because the fight against violence and discrimination concerns all of us.

How do I access and complete the survey?

  • Check your student mailbox and open the message entitled "Survey: help us combat violence, discrimination, and racism". This email contains your personal link to access the survey and respond confidentially and anonymously.
  • If you would like to encourage your classmates to take part in the survey, do not hesitate to direct them to their own mailboxes.
  • If you are having difficulty accessing the questionnaire, please send a message to enquete-evd@univ-nantes.fr.

The survey addresses issues relating to integration events, situations of moral, physical and sexual violence, situations of injustice, inequality, discrimination and racism that may have been experienced by students, as well as the impact of these on their living and studying conditions. Some of the questions may be upsetting because of the situations they refer to or the memories they may trigger. Information on support and assistance systems will therefore be provided at the end of the questionnaire.

Even if you do not feel directly concerned, we encourage you to take the time to answer the entire questionnaire. The survey is also aimed at direct witnesses and people who are not at all affected by these situations.

Only questions concerning your affiliated institution are compulsory. For these questions, you will have the option of selecting the response "I prefer not to answer" if you do not wish to provide this information. All other questions are optional.

Regarding the anonymity of responses: In the last part of the questionnaire, you will be offered the option to leave your contact details in order to be contacted if you feel the need. This contact information is separated from your responses during data analysis, thus guaranteeing the anonymity of your responses.

Regarding data protection: The survey contains sensitive data, which is why a data protection impact assessment was carried out by the institution's Data Protection Officer. This assessment ensures that the consent of respondents is respected and maintains rapid anonymisation and confidentiality of data. It also guarantees the objectivity of the collection of this type of data.


The questionnaire was developed jointly by the university's administrative team, member institutions, a lecturer-researcher in sociology and a lecturer-researcher in social psychology, who is responsible for the "Origins and mechanisms of discrimination" chair at Nantes Université. This questionnaire was tested by a sample of students before being administered to the entire student community. It also draws on national and university surveys such as ACADISCRI.

Updated on 23 December 2025.