Living Black at University 17 3 SAFETY AND BELONGING IN ACCOMMODATION 3.0 Safety and belonging 17 in accommodation 3.1 Belonging 18 3.2 Comfort 19 3.3 Feelings of safety 22 and security 3.4 Summary and key findings 23 Living Black at University 16 Compared to White students, Black students felt a lower sense of belonging, personal safety and comfort within their accommodation. In free text responses and in the focus groups, students gave examples of not feeling accepted or fitting in, isolation and exclusion, and at times a lack of respect from accommodation staff. 3.0 SAFETY AND BELONGING IN ACCOMMODATION I feel a sense of belonging in my accommodation. I feel comfortable expressing who I am in my accommodation. I feel safe and secure in my accommodation. I feel comfortable participating in formal and informal activities within my accommodation. Statement 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.9 3.7 4.0 3.7 3.8 3.5 Mean average Mean White Mean Black/Black British Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with each statement on a 5-point scale, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.