Qualitative data — the lived experiences of staff and students — is a vital part of robust GEDI evidence.

While numbers can reveal patterns in representation, promotion, or retention, they don’t always tell us why those patterns exist or how organisational cultures are genuinely being experienced.

This guide has been developed to help SAGE members collect and analyse qualitative data with rigour and confidence, so that lived experience is treated as the credible, meaningful evidence it is.

The guide is structured to support different stages of the SAGE Athena Swan and Cygnet Award pathways.

Part 1 focuses on using qualitative data to build an evidence-based understanding of institutional context and identify Key Barriers — essential groundwork for Bronze, Silver, and Gold applications.

Part 2 supports Cygnet Award holders to evaluate impact: exploring whether actions have genuinely changed people’s experiences, who is benefiting, and where gaps remain.

Step-by-step examples and practical templates are included throughout to make the process as accessible as possible.

Whether you are just beginning your self-assessment or evaluating the outcomes of targeted actions, this guide will help you move from description to analysis — and from analysis to learning.

Used alongside quantitative evidence, qualitative data helps organisations understand not just what is happening, but why, and what needs to happen next.

We encourage all SAGE members to draw on this resource as a practical tool for ongoing reflection, decision-making, and meaningful change.