Of the 43 per cent of Niagara Region staff responded to the DEI staff survey, with a clear split between what might be called “white collar” and “blue collar” departments.
Planning and Development Services (83%), Corporate Administration (79%) and Corporate Services (71%) had the most respondents, and Community Services (42%), Public Works (38%), and Public Health and Emergency Services (36%) had the least number of respondents.
Perhaps there is least cultural buy-in, or least amount of time, or least amount of communications in the departments with the least amount of responses.
The respondents describe themselves 69 percent female and 22 percent male.
Oddly, only five percent describe themselves as “cisgender”.
Prefer not to answer
Of the 43 percent who choose to respond, a significant portion of respondents took the time to say “Prefer not to say”. Fifteen percent of staff responded “prefer not to answer” (or “disclose”) to their Sexuality or Religious affiliation. Twelve percent did not wish to disclose their Physical or mental health challenges. Nine percent preferred not to disclose their Race, and 6.5 percent did not wish to disclose their Gender.
Department breakdowns of the data shows that Corporate Services and Planning and Development Services were least apt to disclose their disabilities, and gender.
Prefer not to answer was the second place answer for Disabilities and Sexuality.
Race – 8.8 prefer not to answer (76% White most common answer)
Physical or mental health challenges – 12% prefer not to answer (None of the above 49%) *
Religious or Spiritual Affiliation – 15.2% prefer not to answer (41.7% Christian , most common answer)
Sexuality – 15.3% prefer not to disclose (73.5% Heterosexual, most common answer) *
Gender – 6.5% prefer not to disclose (69% Female, most common answer)
Average non-disclosure of all five categories is 11.5%. This would represent about 4% of staff responding to the DEI Survey just to say “prefer not to disclose”, in addition to the 57% who did not respond in the first place.
* Categories marked with an asterisk ‘Prefer not to answer’ is the #2 answer.
