Three-quarters of UK researchers ready to quit academia

The majority of staff at the UK’s higher education institutions are demoralised and considering leaving academia altogether, according to a new report from the University and College Union (UCU). The findings come from a survey of almost 7000 UCU members working across 100 institutions.

Long-running disputes around pay, pensions and working conditions have seen several waves of strike action at UK universities in recent years, with thousands of researchers currently taking part in a third walk out since December. According to UCU, 70,000 academic staff are on insecure, fixed-term contracts, while pension cuts and work overload have contributed to a ‘crisis of morale’ for the UK’s academic workforce.