Nature poll finds many researchers consider quitting

NOV 07, 2016

Nature: Several thousand Nature readers responded to poll questions accompanying a piece about the frustrations that face young researchers, such as the growing pressures to publish, get funding, and find permanent positions. The poll found that 65% of nearly 9000 responding researchers had considered quitting research and that 15% had actually done so. More than […]

DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.0210182

Physics Today

Nature : Several thousand Nature readers responded to poll questions accompanying a piece about the frustrations that face young researchers , such as the growing pressures to publish, get funding, and find permanent positions. The poll found that 65% of nearly 9000 responding researchers had considered quitting research and that 15% had actually done so. More than a quarter of respondents said the challenges they face resulted in the publication of a paper they weren’t proud of, and 16% said they had cut corners in their research for the same reason. Nearly 40% of the respondents worked more than 60 hours per week. The poll also revealed that 44% of researchers consider “the fight for funding” to be the biggest challenge facing early-career scientists. “Lack of work–life balance” and “progression judged too heavily on publication record” tied for the second most common response.