Public consultation

What are you hopeful about when you think ahead to 2050 and beyond? What are you concerned about?
How would you like higher education to be in 2050?
How can higher education contribute to better futures for all?

These were the questions posed to members of the public in the second phase of UNESCO IESALC’s project on the Futures of Higher Education. To obtain the views of people around the world, a short survey was widely disseminated and available to all between May and August 2021. The public consultation was open to everyone, anywhere in the world, of any age.

It was completed by 1,200 people in almost 100 countries. Just over half of the respondents completed the survey in Spanish; others wrote in English, Chinese, French, and Portuguese. Participants ranged in age from under 15 to over 60. Of those that identified as female/male, almost 60% were female and 40% were male. 

The results of the public consultation are published in the report Pathways to 2050 and beyond: Findings from a public consultation on the futures of higher education and in an interactive website where you can explore the data from the consultation.

In support of open science, the full dataset from the public consultation is freely available for use as a research and learning tool. Please let us know if you use the data so we can help you disseminate your findings. The Research and Analysis team is also available by appointment to discuss the dataset.

Related resources