An Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab survey of 1,034 students at 197 two- and four-year institutions found interesting nuances about students’ concerns:
The largest share of students, 40 percent, say other students are most at fault for escalating tensions around campus speech, with the question offering 10 possible responses and up to two selections. The more involved students say they are in campus activism, the more likely they are to blame administrators and governing boards. Still, a third of students who indicate they’re somewhat or very involved in activism blame other students.
This contrasts sharply with and an Inside Higher Ed/Hanover Research fall survey of faculty members about the election and academic freedom, which asked a similar question. Just 15 percent of faculty members in that poll said students were most at fault for escalating tensions over campus speech. The largest share of professors, 66 percent, blamed politicians, followed by administrators and governing boards (37 percent each).
Furthermore, the study shows support for institutional neutrality among students.
More than half of students say colleges and universities should not make statements about political events, such as the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, with implications for ongoing discussions across higher education about institutional neutrality.
Students in New England are most likely to say that institutions should make such statements, by region, at 35 percent. Students at public institutions surveyed are more likely than their private nonprofit peers to say colleges should not make these kinds of statements (56 percent versus 47 percent, respectively).