Should institutions monitor data on religion and belief?

Effective data collection can provide evidence that can be used to identify discriminatory practices and the needs of the university population.

A number of institutes, such as The Institute of Cancer Research, currently monitor students on grounds of religion and belief.

Problems arise if information is gathered simply for its own sake. Monitoring information on religion and belief should be used to identify disadvantage and help service delivery to the university population. The Institute of Cancer Research, for example, has used the information gathered to assess the need for a prayer room and ablution facilities for staff and students. Other needs, such as dietary provision, could also be determined.

One way of finding out the needs of people of different religion or belief is through open dialogues such as discussion groups. Linking information gathered from these dialogues to relevant statistical data on religion and belief is likely to result in more meaningful and useful information about needs.