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The 2024 Space Census has now closed

We are analysing the data, and the results will be shared in 2024-2026

The survey remains accessible below for reference purposes.

See the results

If you’d like to be notified when the results are published, sign up to our extremely infrequent newsletter below.

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.

Gender

What best describes your gender?
Is your gender the same as your sex registered at birth?

Background

What is your ethnic group or background? We use these groups because they are the ones used by the Office for National Statistics.
Have you lived in the UK for at least 5 years in total?
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.

Religion

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

Sexuality

What is your sexual orientation?
Are you comfortable being open about your sexuality in your workplace?

Age

Socio-economic background

When you were aged about 14, what was the occupation of the main or highest income earner in your family?
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?
If you finished school after 1980, were you eligible for free school meals at any point during your school years?

Caring responsibilities

Do you have any caring responsibilities?

Parenting

Have you had a child? Include adopted and fostered children.
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?
Has discrimination or prejudice ever caused you to leave a job in the space sector?
Have you witnessed discrimination or prejudice towards others in the space sector in the past 4 years?
Do you feel that the space sector is welcoming to people like you?
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

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

Your job

Which part of the space sector do you work in? Check all that apply.
Space manufacturing / Upstream
Space operations / Midstream
In-space economy
Space applications / Downstream
Ancillary services
Other
What level would you consider your role?
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.
If you’re not sure if your area is included in a region, you can check the ONS list here.
Do you work remotely?
Are you full-time or part-time in your primary job?
years
years
In general, how satisfied are you with your job?
Are you considering leaving your organisation in the next six months? Your response is confidential and will not be shared with your employer.
Do you think you will move abroad?
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.
Do you feel like you have enough professional development opportunities?
Have you faced any barriers to accessing training? Check all that apply.
Extra information helps us make careers in the space sector more rewarding.

Qualifications

What qualifications do you have? Check all that apply.
Level 3 (roughly age 18)
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
How well do the skills and knowledge you gained in your highest level of qualification match to your current job?
Are you chartered or working towards chartered status?
Extra information helps us improve pathways into the space sector.

Joining the space sector

How did you get into the space sector?
Thinking about your career within the space sector, have you ever worked outside the UK, or considered working outside the UK?
Extra information helps us improve pathways into the space sector.

Wrapping up

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