Evaluating perceptions of STEM majors to explain diversity gaps in entomology and other sciences

Abstract

Communities working in entomology, ecology, and other natural sciences are known for having shortfalls in racial and gender diversity. We aim to uncover drivers of this diversity gap. To achieve this, we distributed a survey to undergraduate students at large academic institutions in North America. The survey was designed to profile the perspectives people had about entomology, ecology, and agricultural science compared to other disciplines, and to see if these perspectives differed among demographics (race, gender, and sexual orientation). In addition to soliciting information about general perception relevant to recruitment and retention (approachability, hospitality/how welcoming a field is, fear, importance, interest, job availability), we also asked targeted questions about race-related issues (race motivated violence, racist authority figures, historical racism). In general, we found that race and sexual orientation did not often explain differences in perception of academic fields while gender did. Entomology was perceived the most negatively compared to all other disciplines, largely being driven by a high perception of fear, lack of knowledge about the importance of entomology, and the perception that jobs are lacking in the field. However, LGBTQ+ status predicted a significant increase in the perception of entomology as a “beautiful” science. Perception of race-related issues in ecology and biology differed by demographic, but the effect-size was small. We present several recommendations for higher education based on our results.