The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is in the final preparation stages of a report on the first year of data collection for our longitudinal study on student perceptions of ethnic and religious identities. The results of the first wave will be released in the fall, as we begin the second wave of data collection.

The Study of Undergraduate Perceptions of Ethnic and Religious Beliefs (SUPERB) is a longitudinal multiyear survey conducted by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in partnership with U-M’s Survey Research Center (SRC) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Wave 1 was conducted between October 6 and November 21, 2025. The findings in its initial report, and in the reports that will follow, represent select insights about U-M undergraduate students’ attitudes and beliefs based on the initial wave of data collection and analysis. 

SUPERB contributes to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s mission by investigating U-M undergrads’ feelings about their own religious and ethnic identities, how they believe others are perceived and treated, and what they themselves believe about different religious, ethnic, and political communities. The central aim of SUPERB is to map and understand how students’ interactions, attitudes, and beliefs about diverse groups evolve throughout their college years. In addition to advancing research, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute will use results of the survey to help identify campus problem areas and suggest where interventions would be most beneficial. 

The SUPERB Survey questions students about their own identity from a variety of angles, working to capture the complexity of personal identity by asking a series of questions that build a multifaceted picture of the respondents’ beliefs.