Science students are much more likely to face insensitivity about their beliefs than their peers in other subject areas, according to new research.
The study, based on a survey of more than 8,000 students across 133 universities, found that 51 per cent of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) identified as non-religious, slightly higher than the all-student average of 48 per cent.
But despite nearly half of STEM students describing themselves as religious – including 28 per cent who said that they were Christian – many said they felt that non-religious views dominated their courses.
The study found that around three in 10 students on STEM and medicine-related courses agreed that religious and non-religious differences created “a sense of division” on campus, compared with one in five students in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
