Most universities and higher education systems have formally taken up a third
mission, which involves various public outreach and engagement activities.
Little is known regarding how higher education institutions' organisations
interact with academic's level of public outreach. This article examines to
which extent the perceptions academics have of their institutions' culture and
management style, as well as some of their own individual and statutory
characteristics interact with their level of public outreach. Using the Academic
Profession in Europe comparative and quantitative research database, this
article focuses on two countries on the extremities of the spectrum -
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.