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2024 Space Census

This census is a survey of individuals in the UK space workforce

It’s for people working in the space sector, including engineers, astronomers, computer scientists, geospatial analysts, marketers, recruiters, educators, lawyers, and more. As long as your work is related to space in some way, you are welcome to take part.

The Census is open to academia, including PhD students, but we are not including undergraduate students, amateur astronomers, or space enthusiasts who do not work in the sector.

It's being conducted by the Space Skills Alliance

We are a not-for-profit research organisation focused on skills and the space workforce. We work with employers, policy makers, and training providers to improve the space sector, and we’ve been recognised for our contributions with a number of awards.

Your response helps make the space sector a better place to work

The data collected in this survey is invaluable and is used to improve what it’s like to work in the sector, tackle discrimination, and make the sector more attractive to new recruits.

This is the second edition of the Census. The first one ran in 2020, and we published four reports based on its findings. These covered demographics, pay, the experiences of women, and how and why people join the sector.

The results were widely quoted and used, including by the Science Minister in Parliament, the Science and Technology Commons Select Committee, the OECD, and many space organisations in the UK and abroad.

It'll take 10 to 15 minutes

Almost all of the questions are closed questions that are quick and easy to answer. If you have some time to spare, there are opportunities to provide some more detail, which we would really appreciate. Your progress will be saved as you go, so you can come back to it later.

It is anonymous and all questions are optional

You can answer all, some, or none of the questions. We will make no attempt to identify you, but you can optionally provide your email address at the end if you are interested in being involved in follow-up studies.

You can contact us at census@spaceskills.org

If you have any questions about this survey, you can get in touch with us at census@spaceskills.org.

Progress saved

Privacy

This section is about how we will use your responses.

About you

This section is about you and your identity.

Connection to the UK space sector

This census is for people working in the UK space sector. If that doesn't cover you, please don't complete this form.

How are you part of the UK space sector? We include PhD students as employed.

I live and am employed in the UK

I am employed in the UK, but live abroad

I am employed by a UK company abroad

I am not employed in the UK space sector

Other

Gender

What best describes your gender?

Female

Male

Other or prefer to self describe

Is your gender the same as your sex registered at birth?

Yes

Background

What is your ethnic group or background? We use these groups because they are the ones used by the Office for National Statistics.

Asian or Asian British

Black, African, Black British or Caribbean

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups

White

Another ethnic group

Have you lived in the UK for at least 5 years in total?

Yes

What is your nationality? When you start typing you will see a list you can select from. Use a comma to add more than one nationality.

Disability

Are your day-to-day activities limited because of any long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses? Please include problems related to old age.

Yes, limited a lot

Yes, limited a little

Religion

What is your religion?

No religion

Buddhist

Christian

Hindu

Jewish

Muslim

Sikh

Other

Are you comfortable being open about your religion in your workplace?

Yes

Yes, but only to close colleagues/my manager

Sexuality

What is your sexual orientation?

Heterosexual/Straight

Gay/Lesbian

Other or prefer to self describe

Are you comfortable being open about your sexuality in your workplace?

Yes

Yes, but only to close colleagues/my manager

Age

How old are you?

Socio-economic background

When you were aged about 14, what was the occupation of the main or highest income earner in your family?

Professional Teacher, nurse, physiotherapist, social worker, welfare officer, artist, musician, software designer, accountant, solicitor, medical practitioner, scientist, engineering professions etc.

Managerial, including senior, middle, or junior Finance manager, chief executive, office manager, retail manager, bank manager, restaurant manager, warehouse manager etc.

Clerical or intermediate Secretary, personal assistant, clerical worker, office clerk, call centre agent, nursing auxiliary, nursery nurse etc.

Routine, semi-routine manual or service occupations Postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter/waitress, bar staff etc.

Technical and craft occupations Motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver etc.

Never worked or long-term unemployed

Don’t know

Other

Where did you live when you were aged about 14? If you’re not sure if your area is included in a region, you can check the ONS list here.

What type of secondary school did you attend?

State-run or state-funded school – selective on academic, faith or other grounds

State-run or state-funded school – non-selective

Independent or fee-paying school – with a bursary

Independent or fee-paying school – no bursary

Attended school outside the UK

Don’t know

Other

If you finished school after 1980, were you eligible for free school meals at any point during your school years?

Yes

Not applicable (finished school before 1980 or outside the UK)

Don’t know

Caring responsibilities

Do you have any caring responsibilities?

Yes – I care for a child or adult with illness, disability, mental health condition, or problems relating to old age

Yes – I care for a child as a parent or guardian

Yes – both of the above

Parenting

Have you had a child? Include adopted and fostered children.

Yes

Is there anything else you would like to share about being a parent? Extra information helps us improve support for parents in the space sector.

Discrimination & prejudice

Have you personally experienced any discrimination or prejudice in the space sector in the past 4 years?

Yes – a lot

Yes – a little

Has discrimination or prejudice ever caused you to leave a job in the space sector?

Yes

Have you witnessed discrimination or prejudice towards others in the space sector in the past 4 years?

Yes – a lot

Yes – a little

Do you feel that the space sector is welcoming to people like you?

Always

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

Is there anything else you would like to share about discrimination and prejudice in the space sector, or any suggestions you have for actions the sector could take? Extra information helps us tackle these problems and make the space sector more welcoming.

About your work

This section is about your job and why you joined the space sector. If you have more than one job, please describe your primary job.

Organisation

Which organisation do you work for? You do not have to answer this question, and no information will be shared with your employer. When you start typing you will see some suggestions, you can select one or write your own.

What type of organisation do you work for?

Company

Self-employed or sole trader

University or research institution

Military

Government or intergovernmental organisation

Non-profit

Other

What is the size of the organisation you work in? Give your best guess.

Just me!

2 – 3 employees

4 – 9 employees

10 – 49 employees

50 – 99 employees

100 – 249 employees

250 – 499 employees

500 – 999 employees

1000+ employees

Your job

What level would you consider your role?

Trainee (apprenticeship, grad scheme, internship, PhD etc.)

Junior

Mid-level

Senior

Director

Where do you normally work? If you work from home, select the region where you live. If you’re not sure if your area is included in a region, you can check the ONS list here.

Where do you live? If you’re not sure if your area is included in a region, you can check the ONS list here.

Do you work remotely?

No, my organisation/management won’t allow it

No, although my organisation generally allows this

Yes, 1-2 days a week

Yes, 3-4 days a week

Yes, full time

Are you full-time or part-time in your primary job?

Full-time

Part-time

What is your annual salary (FTE)?

How many years have you worked in the space sector? years

How many years have you worked in your current job? years

In general, how satisfied are you with your job?

Very satisfied

Satisfied

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Are you considering leaving your organisation in the next six months? Your response is confidential and will not be shared with your employer.

Yes – in the process of leaving

Yes – actively looking for a new job

Maybe – open to opportunities

No – not interested in leaving

Do you think you will move abroad?

Yes

Unsure

Is there anything else you would like to share about your job? Extra information helps us make careers in the space sector more rewarding.

Your professional development

What type of professional development have you done in the past 4 years whilst working in space? Check all that apply.

Formal on the job training (e.g. structured training programme)

Informal on the job training (e.g. shadowing more experienced staff)

External accredited training (e.g. CPD course)

External unaccredited training (e.g. a webinar)

Secondments

Further study such as an apprenticeship or degree

Other

None

Do you feel like you have enough professional development opportunities?

Yes

Have you faced any barriers to accessing training? Check all that apply.

Training is too expensive

Not enough time for training

Appropriate training is not available anywhere

Appropriate training is not available locally

My employer isn’t supportive of it

No barriers

Other

Is there anything else you would like to share about your professional development? Extra information helps us make careers in the space sector more rewarding.

Qualifications

Your degrees

Degree 1

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 2

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 3

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 4

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 5

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 6

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 7

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 8

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 9

Qualification

Subject

University

Degree 10

Qualification

Subject

University

Your vocational qualifications

Vocational qualification 1

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 2

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 3

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 4

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 5

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 6

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 7

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 8

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 9

Qualification

Subject

Vocational qualification 10

Qualification

Subject

How well do the skills and knowledge you gained in your highest level of qualification match to your current job?

Extremely well, I use them every day

Quite well, I use them occasionally

Not very well, I use them rarely or never

Are you chartered or working towards chartered status?

Yes – chartered

Yes – working towards chartership

Is there anything else you would like to share about your qualifications and how relevant they are to your work? Extra information helps us improve pathways into the space sector.

Joining the space sector

How did you get into the space sector?

My whole career has been in space

I changed jobs / sectors

My job / company became a space job / company

Why did you choose the space sector? Select and order up to 5 reasons.

What influenced you to get into space? Select and order up to 5 reasons.

Thinking about your career within the space sector, have you ever worked outside the UK, or considered working outside the UK?

I have worked outside the UK

I have not worked outside the UK but have considered it

I have not worked outside the UK and have not considered it

Is there anything else you would like to share about your route into the sector? Extra information helps us improve pathways into the space sector.

Wrapping up

Is there anything else you would like to tell us, or any suggestions you have for actions the sector could take? This could be about your experiences in the space sector, your employment journey, or anything you think we’ve missed.

Would you be willing to participate in follow up research on any of the topics covered in this survey?

Yes

Would you like to be sent a copy of your survey response?

Yes