2023 Character Education Teacher Poll Results Published

The Jubilee Centre commissioned a poll, undertaken by Yonder Consulting, to understand UK teachers’ perceptions and experiences of character education. The poll received 605 responses in April and May 2023.

The findings offer insight into UK teachers’ perceptions and practices of character education in school. Importantly, the poll findings help us to understand how familiarity with character education has developed in the UK in recent years, through building on the findings of the 2018 Virtues and Character Education teacher survey which received responses from 457 UK teachers.

Comparisons to the 2018 Poll:

• A higher proportion of respondents from the 2023 poll (76%) than the 2018 poll (44%) are familiar with the term ‘character education’.
• A higher proportion of respondents from the 2023 poll (64%) than the 2018 poll (32%) reported that their school place an emphasis on, or have a plan or policy on character education.
• A higher proportion of respondents from the 2023 poll (50%) than the 2018 poll (19%) said they have received training related to character education since their initial teacher education.

Other highlights from the 2023 poll:

• 85% of respondents said that parents/carers could influence young people’s character development. 83% said that teachers could influence young people’s character development.
• 91% of respondents agreed that teachers play a role in developing the character of their pupils.
• 85% of respondents agreed that opportunities to attend/receive training related to character education would be beneficial to their practice.
• 83% of respondents believed that a greater focus on character education in school would positively impact pupils’ academic attainment.
• 87% of respondents believed that a greater focus on character education in school would positively impact pupils’ personal development.
• 67% of respondents agreed that school inspections should place a greater emphasis on pupils' personal and character development.

An executive summary of the 2023 poll can be found here.