1. Summary
report ExeQuest 2012
Quantitative research key findings
May 2012

2. Does the Guild make a difference?
58.4% of respondents felt the Students’ Guild had a positive effect on their university
experience, a slight increase from 2011. Only 1.2% felt it had a negative impact, which is a small
drop on last year, and the remainder were indifferent.
Negative
40.9% No difference 40.3%
Positive
57.6% 58.4%
2011 2012
What difference, if any, would you say the Students' Guild has on your University experience?
ExeQuest 2012

3. Does the Guild make a difference?
Streatham students feel most strongly that the Guild has a positive effect on their University
experience. At Tremough almost two thirds feel it makes no difference to their experience.
The majority of PostGraduate and PGCE students, along with those that didn’t know their official
college, felt the Guild made no difference to their University experience.
36% 33% 31% 40% 38% 36%
35% 34% 41% 44%
52% 39%
63% 52% 64%
60%
71%
Negative
No
63% 67% 64% 65% 69% 60% 61% 63% difference
59% 58% 55%
48% 47% Positive
36% 39% 34%
27%
Streatham St Lukes Tremough UG 1st UG UG PGT PGR PGCE INTO Other EMPS HUMS CLES CSSIS BUSS Don't
Yr Penult Final know
Yr Yr
What difference, if any, would you say the Students' Guild has on your University experience?
ExeQuest 2012

4. Understanding
More than a third (45%) of all respondents have a good understanding of how the Guild is
run, but a third of respondents still feel this understanding is ‘average’.
73% of Tremough students have an average or poor understanding of the Guild, compared to
57% at St Lukes and 53% at Streatham.
6% 4%
10%
15% 19%
15%
16%
18%
Very poor 33% Very poor
33%
Quite poor 31% Quite poor
Average 37% Average
Quite good Quite good
36% Very good 39% 32% Very good
24%
8% 9% 10%
3%
Overall Streatham St Lukes Tremough
Which of the following best describes your understanding of how the Students' Guild is run?
ExeQuest 2012

5. Guild Responsibilities
The three key areas that students feel are the primary responsibilities of the Students’ Guild are
to be the students’ voice to representatives, should improve the student experience and to run
societies, however, 50% feel that the third key area should be to offer student advice and
support.
Are Should be
Be the students’ voice to university … 64% Be the students’ voice to university … 70%
To improve the student experience 57% To improve the student experience 68%
Societies 40% Offer student advice and support 50%
Offer student advice and support 38% Societies 29%
To run bars (e.g. the RAM) 23% To run student campaigns 15%
To run student campaigns 22% Provide social spaces to students 14%
To run shops and services (e.g. Print… 14% To run bars (e.g. the RAM) 12%
Provide social spaces to students 13% To offer volunteering opportunities 10%
To offer volunteering opportunities 8% To run shops and services (e.g. Print… 9%
To run cafes (e.g. Long Lounge) 8% Entrepreneurial support 4%
Entrepreneurial support 2% To run cafes (e.g. Long Lounge) 4%
Which of the following things do you think are/should be the primary responsibilities of the Guild?
ExeQuest 2012

6. Guild Responsibilities
The standout differences are the Guild being responsible for improving the student experience
and offering advice and support; more respondents felt they should be responsible for this.
11%
11%
8%
5%
4%
-2%
-2%
-2%
-6%
-12%
-12%
university representatives
Societies
To offer volunteering
To run shops and services
To run cafes (e.g. Long
To run student campaigns
Provide social spaces to
To improve the student
Offer student advice and
To run bars (e.g. the RAM)
Entrepreneurial support
Be the students’ voice to
opportunities
(e.g. Print unit)
experience
Lounge)
students
support
NB This chart shows the percentage point difference between the percentage of those that think ARE the responsibilities and those that think SHOULD BE the responsibilities of the Guild
Which of the following things do you think are/should be the primary responsibilities of the Guild?
ExeQuest 2012

7. Guild Delivery
An average of 51% of respondents feel that the Guild delivers on all its responsibilities ‘quite
well’, with 19% saying ‘very well’, 13% said ‘not very well’, 16% ‘don’t know’ and only 3%
saying ‘not at all well’.
11% 13% 13% 14% 10% 12% 16% 15% 9% Don't know
20% 9%
7% 7% 11% 15% 38%
14% 21% 14% 14%
16% Not at all well
53% 55% 49%
55% 53% 55% 50% 18%
42% 48% 50% Not very well
32%
26% 24% 32% Quite well
20% 16% 17% 18% 15% 17% 18%
7%
volunteering…
Very well
Entrepreneurial
spaces to students
Societies
Being the students
To run student
student experience
To run cafes (e.g.
advice and support
Running bars (e.g.
Running shops and
Offering
Offering student
Providing social
Long Lounge)
campaigns
services (e.g.…
Improving the
support
the RAM)
voice to…
Providing social spaces to students is the area most in need of improvement.
38% don’t know about how the Guild delivers Entrepreneurial support.
The Guild are currently responsible for each of the following. Based on your own experience and
ExeQuest 2012
from what you have heard, how well do you think the Guild delivers each of the following?

8. Guild Services
14% 9% 3rd party
Most respondents feel that the majority of 16%
27% 45%
51%
services should be run by the Guild; the 85% 90%
Uni
71%
exception to this was 51% of respondents who 56%
37%
54%
Guild
believe the shops and services (e.g. print unit)
Cafes (Long
Bars (e.g. the
services (e.g. Print
Student advice
Student societies
should be run by the University (37% feel this
Student activities
and support
Lounge)
RAM)
Shops and
should be run by the Guild).
unit)
Split by level of study, shops and services is
the one service that bias is more towards
the University running it, the other services Shops & Services Bars Cafes
10%
11%
12%
12%
9%
3rd
15%
19%
should all be run by the Guild.
21% 25%
11% 26%
29%
31%
party
47%
52%
51%
50%
20%
Uni
52%
27%
51%
70%
Although the majority of EU and
64%
International students feel the Guild should Guild
54%
51%
42%
42%
39%
38%
38%
33%
30%
run the bulk of services, there is also a fairly
20%
strong belief that a third party provider
EU
EU
Int'l
Int'l
UG 1st Yr
PGR
INTO
PGCE
PGT
UG Final Yr
UG Penult Yr
should run the bars and cafes.
Do you think the following services should be run by the Guild, run by the University or run by a third
ExeQuest 2012
party provider?

9. Guild Priorities
By far, the most important priority to respondents is for the Guild to give students better
representation to the University.
60%
35% 33% 33% 33% 32%
22%
15%
11%
1%
Better student Break down More social Support for Student Improved Greater Guild Better cultural Greater focus Other
representation barriers to integration activities and Support social space openness awareness on campaigns
to the increased between volunteering Welfare with social
University involvement different activities
with the Guild students of
different
nationalities /
cultures
Keep ram prices
Listening to the
Involve the Cornwall in line with
students at Running a
campus more, we get other
Tremough More of a bar/union where
the newsletters, but universities
connection none of the benefits. the price reflects A real student
between the that this IS a bar with student
campuses university prices.
Which of the following do you think should be the priorities for the Students' Guild?
ExeQuest 2012

10. Guild Priorities
For PGT, INTO, EU and International students, the two main priorities for Guild should be
more social integration between students of different nationalities/cultures and better
student representation to the University.
PGR, PGCE and INTO students also place high importance on the Guild making Student
Support Welfare a priority.
Undergraduate first year students would like focus on improved social spaces, increased
involvement with the Guild and support for activities and volunteering.
Which of the following do you think should be the priorities for the Students' Guild?
ExeQuest 2012

11. Guild Elections
64% of all respondents voted in the recent Guild elections.
The biggest reason for voting is because students feel it is important (60%). 49% did so
because they wanted to have their say, and 33% because they knew someone involved with
the election.
Important to vote 60%
Wanted to have my say 49%
Knew someone involved with the
33%
election
Felt strongly about a candidate 17%
Felt strongly about an issue 7%
Other 1%
Did you vote in the recent Students' Guild Elections?
ExeQuest 2012
Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for voting?

12. Guild Elections
Did not know about the candidates /
Of those that didn’t vote, 40% said it issues
40%
was because they were unaware of Too busy 34%
the candidates or issues, and 34%
Did not care 23%
said they were too busy.
Other 14%
Wouldn't make a difference 13%
Did not understand what voting was
about
11%
Did not know about it 7%
Did not know how to vote 5%
Other reasons...
As a PhD student I Irritated by being find the
feel that the Guild harassed during campaigning and
takes care of the UG elections. Even Those running are flyering intrusive
students, and has Candidates need to heard foul always more and irritating
little impact on PGs find a better way of language from one. interested in the
campaigning other kudos they
than shouting at achieve, than
voters effecting change.
Pointless
Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting? ExeQuest 2012

13. Guild Elections
Looking at individual
campuses, Streatham students were 32%
the highest percentage of 50%
57%
voters, while respondents from
Tremough showed that only 43% No
voted in the elections. Yes
68%
50%
43%
Streatham St Lukes Tremough
Other reasons for not voting at
Tremough...
At Tremough we feel I am at Tremough - Unaware of
very alienated and as we have FXU and presence at
a result we have no nothing to do with Tremough Campus
Doesn't make a Study at Tremough
idea about the voting. the Guild.
difference to so didn't think the
students on Guild elections
Tremough really effected me.
campus.
Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting? ExeQuest 2012

14. Guild Elections
Looking at level of study, both 28% 29% 23%
40%
Postgraduate and PGCE had very low 41%
62% 64%
levels of voters, in particular
84%
PGCE, with only 16% of these
No
students voting. 73% 71% 78%
61% 59% Yes
39% 36%
16%
Feedback suggests that some cohorts
UG 1st UG UG PGT PGR PGCE INTO Other
do not feel as ‘included’ in the Yr Penult Final Yr
University as Undergraduates.... Yr
As a mature PGCE I am currently on a
As postgrad 1 year PGCE course
student not on the
, mature, single & was only on
main campus feel
Was not allowed to mother, living in Find the whole campus for the first
very much outside of
(PCMD) although i another city, I don't campaign process is term.
the University and
specifically feel part of guild. aimed at
Guild
contacted the guild undergraduates
to vote, they made (stupid costumes/
no effort campaigning etc)
Which, if any, of the following describe your reasons for not voting? ExeQuest 2012

15. Guild Involvement
The main thing students want from getting involved in any Guild activities is to have fun, and the
second priority is to improve any future employment aspects.
It is also important to meet new friends and try out new things, enhancing the University
experience.
53%
49%
45%
40%
28%
20% 18%
15%
10%
2%
To have fun To improve my To meet new To try out new To be part of To help others To have an To help For personal Don't know
future friends things something influence exercise my benefit
employment values and
prospects beliefs
Which of the following is most important to you when considering involvement in the Students' Guild's
ExeQuest 2012
activities, societies, services or volunteering?

16. Guild-University Relationship
Four in ten believe that the Guild works alongside the University, while almost a third believe it
is part of the University.
41%
31%
16%
9%
1% 1%
The Guild works The Guild is part of The Guild is separate Don't know The Guild and the The Guild has no
alongside the the University but campaigns to the University are the relationship with the
University University on same University
students' behalf
22% of Tremough students do not know what the relationship is between the Guild and the
University, compared with 13% at St Lukes and 7% at Streatham.
Which of the following do you think best describes the relationship between the University and the Guild?
ExeQuest 2012

17. Guild Influence
7%
Over half the respondents (54%) rate the
Guild’s ability to influence positive change in 36% Very poor
the University as good, while a further 36%
Quite poor
feel this influence is average. Average
Quite good
46%
Very good
8%
Influence
16%
70% of respondents believe that the Guild has Don't know
14%
some kind of influence on the University’s areas No influence
of investment, 59% regard this as a modest
influence. A little
59% influence
A large
influence
11%
Investment
How would you rate the Students' Guild's ability to influence positive change in the University?
ExeQuest 2012

18. Guild Activities
The majority of Guild activities are perceived by a lot of respondents as difficult to become
involved with.
Easy Difficult
6% 8% 15%
29% 33% 36% 42% 50%
94% 92% 85%
71% 67% 64% 58% 50%
Societies
Running for a
Representation
representative
Voting in
Take part in
Being part of a
Volunteering /
Elections
Campaigns
Running for a
Sabbatical
Committee
Activities
Position
position
Course
% of don’t knows 10% 9% 22% 32% 29% 27% 36% 37%
NB This chart has been reweighted by ‘easy’ and ‘difficult’ responses to exclude the ‘don’t knows’. The original ‘don’t know’ percentages are in the blue boxes
underneath the chart.
Do you think it is easy or difficult to become involved with each of the following Guild activities?
ExeQuest 2012

19. Guild Activities
INTO students think Running for a Sabbatical Position is difficult to get involved with
through the Guild, they also feel it is difficult to be part of a committee and run for a
representative committee.
Postgraduates and PGCE students don’t know if it is easy to become part of a
Committee, and postgraduates don’t know how easy it is to run for a representative
position.
Respondents from Tremough don’t know whether it is easy or difficult to become involved
in several of the Guild activities.
EU and International students don’t know about running for a representative position, and
International students find it difficult to be part of a Committee.
Do you think it is easy or difficult to become involved with each of the following Guild activities?
ExeQuest 2012

20. Have Your Say Hub & Digital
Awareness of the ‘Have Your Say’ hub on Students just are not interested 47%
the Guild website is low, with only 21% of
respondents cognisant of its existence. Inadequate information given 39%
Students don’t understand what its
Feedback shows that awareness is low purpose is
37%
because students just aren’t that
There are better, alternative ways to
interested, there is a lack of information do the same thing
13%
about it and also a lack of understanding.
Difficult to use 5%
Its existence is Other 3%
not well Unless you go to
publicised. the guild website
regularly you don't
really see it.
few students
frequent the 79% of respondents feel that the Guild services should be
guild website
making more use of digital solutions to promote their
services, for example the advice unit or the societies.
Are you aware or unaware of the 'Have your say ' hub - this is an area on the Students’ Guild website where ExeQuest 2012
you can submit issues, change policy of the organisation or launch campaigns? Which of the following
reasons, do you think best explains why other students may not be aware of the 'Have your say' hub?

21. University Investment
An increase in contact hours is the Increase in contact hours 33%
top priority for University investment. No hidden course costs (ie… 29%
Reduced costs on campus 27%
Respondents would like to see cost Subsidised accommodation 25%
savings across the board; no hidden Free or subsidised sports clubs/… 25%
costs on their courses, reduced Improved library resource… 24%
campus costs, cheaper Increase in the number of… 21%
accommodation and free or Smaller class sizes 18%
subsidised sports and societies. Improved teaching facilities 18%
Better staff student ratio 17%
With regards to learning, it is Increased focus on employability 12%
important to have smaller classes or a
Improved social spaces 10%
better staff:student ratio, and an
Investment in online learning and… 10%
investment in online teaching
Improved sporting facilities 8%
resources.
Increased investment in research 8%
Longer opening hours for student… 6%
None of these 0%
Which of the following do you think should be the priority areas for University investment?
ExeQuest 2012

22. University Investment
By the three main levels of study, UG, PGT and PGR, the priority area for investment is
believed to be an increase in contact hours, improved library resources and an increase in
the number of scholarships and bursaries respectively.
UG PGT PGR
Improved library Increase in the
Increase in contact
37% resource 36% number of 37%
hours
(books, ebooks, jour… scholarships and…
No hidden course Increase in the Improved library
costs (ie books, field 31% number of 32% resource 35%
trips, study… scholarships and… (books, ebooks, jour…
Reduced costs on Increase in contact Increased investment
29% 26% 30%
campus hours in research
Free or subsidised
Improved teaching Better staff student
sports clubs/ society 28% 24% 23%
facilities ratio
membership
Subsidised Reduced costs on Improved teaching
28% 22% 22%
accommodation campus facilities
Which of the following do you think should be the priority areas for University investment?
ExeQuest 2012

23. Summary
•The greatest effect of the Guild is felt at the Streatham campus (63% of respondents saying it has a
positive effect); students at St Lukes (52%), and even more so at Tremough (63%), feel it makes no
difference to their University experience.
•Just over half of the respondents have an average or poor understanding of how the Guild is run and
this varies more by campus; for example at Tremough, nearly three quarters of the students gave this
same response.
•41% of respondents believe the Guild works alongside the University, while 31% think it is part of the
University.
•Of all the Guild’s responsibilities, understanding of Entrepreneurial Support seems to be the
lowest, as 38% of respondents don’t know how well the Guild delivers on this.
•The majority of Guild activities are viewed as difficult to become involved in, the most difficult being
running for a Sabbatical position.
•36% of respondents did not vote in the Guild election; this percentage increases for St Lukes and
Tremough campus students, and also Postgraduate and PGCE students.
ExeQuest 2012

24. Methodology
All students at the University were invited to take part in this survey, which was sent out by
the Guild.
There were a total of 2206 respondents.
ExeQuest 2012