QUESTION

ANSWER

What is the participation level for the Gallup Survey nationwide?

Gallup reports having about 25 million survey respondents across multiple industries, and they make available different types of survey instruments that include some or all of the Q12 survey questions. OU plans to conduct the Q12 survey annually. Gallup offers other engagement-related surveys, like the check-in we did in the spring of 2025, and pulse surveys that target specific questions instead of the whole survey. HR tells us that OU has decided to focus on surveying using the Gallup Q12 each year.

Which universities are using the Gallup survey? Who are we benchmarking against in the “Higher Education Industry” group for our percentile rankings?

Each year, Gallup produces a report on the state of the workforce that summarizes insights from around the world and all industry clients. Every few years, a meta-analysis report offers a deep dive into the data. Everyone at OU has access to Gallup Access, where they can retrieve approximately 850 resources for additional information.

Where can you connect? OU Engage HR Quick Webpage Link

Which SEC schools (OU peers) are using the Gallup Survey? Which AAU schools (OU aspirational peers) are using the Gallup Survey?

Presently, we do not know the specific schools that use the Gallup Q12 survey; maybe we can find out from a conversation with peer-school colleagues. We do know that the Gallup survey pool for the higher education industry includes about 200,000 respondents. These data create the higher education benchmarking information that Gallup uses to calculate the OU, College, and Department/Unit percentile rankings.

What percentage of faculty responses were there for the individual colleges?

The 2024 OU Engage Survey faculty respondent percentages, as a total of all respondents by college, ranged from 18% to 55% for OU Health Campus faculty. Each college has access to the aggregate number of faculty respondents and faculty respondents by question. The calculated percentage of faculty respondents by college is noted on the handouts provided. Q12 average faculty RRate we 44.26%-- just barely actionable.

What is a meaningful survey response rate (RRate)?

Gallup says actionable participation scores start around a 40% Response Rate. We may see this for aggregate responses to specific questions in the Q12. However, it is better for action planning when participation has reached at least 60%.

At higher response rates, the answers to specific questions and to the overall survey are more likely to reflect what is truly felt or experienced by respondents and to be more reliable for assessing what follow-up actions are relevant for action (and will be perceived as relevant by faculty, or any respondents. When the response rate is too low, the vocal minority and leadership are usually the ones who are in the response pool.

Which survey questions need another look?

• Any survey theme with an average Likert score starting with a “2” deserves a serious look; for faculty 2024, that’s Q4 in campus data.
• Q10 may be read too literally by some—think “trusted peer” instead of being too concrete about survey wording of “best friend at work.”

Question

What each Gallup Q12 survey question reveals…

Q00

Satisfaction. Overall satisfaction with the organization as a place to work

Q01

Role clarity.  Explicit and implicit expectations for the role and the team.

Q02

Strongest indicator of job stress. Measures both physical resource needs & potential barriers that exist.

Q03

Talents Known. Opportunities to apply the best of their natural selves — their talents — as well as their skills and knowledge.

Q04

Recognition. Praise and recognition to better understand their manager’s expectations and values.

Q05

Caring concern. Someone is concerned about me as a person first and as an employee second.

Q06

Navigating Career. Sponsorship, coaching, protection, exposure and visibility, and challenging work assignments.

Q07

Feeling valued. My input is important and I’m making a significant contribution and a difference.

Q08

Values Align. Measures important motivation for team members: the organization exemplifies values that they share.

Q09

Pride in Team. Need to be in a setting where there is mutual trust and respect for one another’s efforts and team results.

Q10

Trusted Peer. There is a person at work whom you would consider a work friend or on the job best friend (or confidant).

Q11

Deliberate Development. Honest, positive and constructive performance feedback; time to discuss progress/development.

Q12

Professional Growth. Motivated and progressing, organization support for them in being able to learn and develop.