University Police and Public Safety Survey
Understanding of attitudes and opinions related to policing, public safety, programs and services, and overall campus safety at Penn State
University Police and Public Safety launched its fourth confidential biannual University-wide survey in the fall of 2025. The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of attitudes and opinions related to policing, public safety, programs and services, and overall campus safety at Penn State.
The survey, administered to students and employees by the Penn State Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research (OPAIR), focuses on the department’s policing unit, and is intended to be used as a platform for organizational learning and asks specific questions about the quality of policing on campus.
Select members of the Penn State community will receive the survey by email from the Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research (OPAIR). A random sample of students and employees at Penn State’s University Park, Abington, Altoona, Berks, Behrend and Harrisburg campuses, as well as all students and employees at select smaller Penn State campuses, were invited to complete the most recent survey.
The survey asks participants questions about University Police regarding: overall performance, overall competency of agency employees, citizens’ perception of officers’ attitudes and behavior, community concern over safety and security within University Police’s jurisdiction, and citizens’ recommendations and suggestions for improvements.
2025 Community Survey Results
2025 All Campuses Dashboard Link (encompasses 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 results)
2025 Aggregate Community Survey Report (PDF)
2023 Aggregate Community Survey Report [PDF]
2021 Aggregate Community Survey Report [PDF]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can I take the next survey? How are participants selected?
A simple random sample of active, current students and employees at Penn State’s larger campuses (Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Harrisburg, and University Park) will be invited to take the survey. All current students and employees at Penn State’s smaller campuses served by University Police and Public Safety (Beaver, Brandywine, Dickinson Law, Great Valley, Greater Allegheny, Hazleton, Lehigh Valley, Schuylkill, and Scranton. Closing campuses will not be surveyed.) will receive an invitation. Current and prior employees of University Police and Public Safety are excluded from the sample.
Why isn't everyone at Penn State invited to take the survey?
Penn State uses surveys to gather many types of information. Whenever possible, participants are selected at random to decrease the number of different surveys members of our community receive from areas of the University. At smaller campus locations, it is still sometimes necessary to invite all relevant community members to participate to obtain enough responses to generalize to the larger population.
I want to take the survey, but I cannot find it.
Survey invitations were most recently sent via email in October 2025 from the Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research (OPAIR) under the email address opair.surveys@psu.edu and were due to be completed by October 19.
Current or previous employees of University Police and Public Safetyare not eligible to take the survey. If you are an employee or student at Penn State Hershey or Pennsylvania College of Technology, your location is not served by UPPS and you are not eligible to take the survey. If you are an employee or student at Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Harrisburg, or University Park and do not receive an invitation, you were not selected as part of the random sample of people invited to take the survey.
Why is the survey being done?
Penn State University Police and Public Safety is conducting a University-wide survey of students and employees to learn more about their attitudes and opinions related to the department’s police division and specifically:
overall performance;
overall competency of agency employees;
citizens’ perception of officers’ attitudes and behavior;
community concern over safety and security within University Police’s jurisdiction; and
citizens’ recommendations and suggestions for improvements.
The survey is intended to be used as a platform for organizational learning, asking specific questions about the quality of policing in the community and to measure how policing in that community affects public trust.
What will Penn State do with the Survey Results?
The findings will be used to improve police services for all community members. University Police will release the aggregated results of the survey in fall 2026.
Who created the survey?
Penn State University Police and Public Safety worked with the Penn State Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) to create the survey.
How were the questions created?
The questions were designed after reviewing survey instruments from peer institutions and with consideration for local contexts. Penn State’s Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) assisted University Police with shaping the questions. The responses will provide information that is crucial for assessing police services at Penn State.
Please note that some of the questions about police services may be related to a traumatic or upsetting experience for some participants, which may cause discomfort to recall. Those participants may choose not to complete the survey or skip questions within the survey. If a participant is concerned that recalling such experiences may be challenging, they are encouraged to seek assistance from Counseling and Psychological Services (students) or Penn State's Employee Assistance Program (employees).
How long will the survey take to complete?
This survey takes an average of 15 minutes to complete.
Are the responses confidential?
Yes, the responses are confidential, and the survey is voluntary. Participants may skip questions they do not wish to answer. Participants who wish to be contacted by University Police and Public Safety about their experience may choose to provide their contact information, but this information will not be linked to their answers in the reports provided by the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) to University Police and Public Safety. Raw data will be housed with OPAIR and will not be provided to University Police and Public Safety. All information will be aggregated to a level that protects individual confidentiality.
Where can I find out more about University Police and Public Safety?
To learn more about University Police and Public Safety, review the UPPS website and follow @pennstatepolice on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and Penn State University Police and Public Safety on LinkedIn.