A majority of faculty members—87 percent—say it is difficult to have open and honest discussions about divisive political topics, including those related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, racial inequality and transgender rights, according to the 2024 faculty survey report “Peace in the Classroom,” published today by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
The group surveyed 6,269 faculty across 55 colleges and universities—including a mix of public and private institutions—about the state of free speech and self-reflection on their campuses.
“Academic freedom may technically exist, but many officials seem to lack faith that it will be there to protect them—their careers, their reputations, or their jobs—in times of crisis. For many, the risks today are very high,” the report concluded. “This kind of situation is unsustainable in higher education, at least not if higher education wishes to support its truth-seeking and knowledge-producing mission.”
The survey also found that 28 percent of faculty say they at least sometimes hide their political beliefs to keep their jobs, while 27 percent of faculty feel unable to speak freely for fear of how students, administrators or other faculty might respond.
While only 14 percent of faculty reported experiencing disciplinary action or threats for their teaching, research, academic speaking or other off-campus speech, 40 percent expressed concern about damaging their reputation because someone did not understand something they said or did.
The answers to these questions varied depending on how politically inclined the professor was.
While 55 percent of conservative faculty said they might hide their political beliefs, only 17 percent of liberal faculty said the same. Additionally, 71 percent said a liberal faculty member would fit in well in their department, while only 20 percent said a conservative would.
That disparity, says the FIRE report, can shape a student’s learning experience.
“If students, or even early scholars, do not have role models or expertise to rely on—perhaps because some faculty are too few in number, or perhaps because these students fear their work and are silent—they may fail to receive adequate training, research opportunities, or other important intangibles to succeed in college and progress to graduate school, which puts you in a position of immediate disempowerment,” the report said.
Tenure also had an impact on how professors viewed self-discipline, as 34 percent of tenured professors reported hiding their political beliefs in an effort to keep their jobs, compared to 25 percent of tenured professors.
The report also suggests that despite a recent crusade by conservative politicians to cast universities as staunch supporters of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, many professors disagree with some of DEI’s initiatives.
A portion of the faculty surveyed said, “It is rarely or never justified to require professional candidates to submit statements of commitment” to the DEI. And 66 percent of faculty say colleges and universities should not take positions on any political or social issues.
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