College and university professors are reconsidering how they speak to their colleagues, their administrators and in classrooms as they fear how their viewpoints might damage their reputation—and even employability—according to the latest survey by this free speech watchdog.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, commonly known as FIRE, surveyed over 6,200 tenured, tenure track and non-tenure track faculty participants from 55 colleges and universities. Only 27% believe academic freedom is secure on their campus.
Students, administrators, governing board members and colleagues have pressured faculty into self-censoring, the survey found. As a result, over one-third stated they have “toned down” their writings to avoid controversy.
“I am starting (for the first time in my career) to censor myself out of a desire for self-preservation,” said one professor from Texas A&M University. “I say nothing at all in faculty meetings now, if I attend at all.”
Faculty with conservative viewpoints were disproportionately more likely to self-sensor. As a result, three times as many conservatives were likely to hide their political beliefs. Regardless of ideology, a fifth or more faculty reported self-censoring in professional contexts, such as in lectures, academic publications and even research.
Faculty might feel more inclined to withhold their opinions because they fear their bosses won’t protect their free speech. A quarter (28%) didn’t believe their administration would defend a speaker if a controversy over offensive speech emerged.
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Survey respondents pointed to DEI initiatives as a critical turning point. “You cannot question DEI,” said a University of Michigan professor, “cannot reason against DEI or speak about anything related to DEI (unless you support it unquestionably). DEI is the McCarthyism of the current times.”
The University of Michigan, once a crown jewel of DEI in higher education, recently pulled diversity statements from its hiring practices and fired its top DEI officer as it begins to overhaul its decades-old initiatives.
Changing perceptions of DEI were evident in this survey. Even among liberal faculty, more than a third (35%) believed DEI statements for hiring are never justifiable; responses from conservative (85%) and moderate (59%) voices were more emphatic.
Two-thirds of faculty believe colleges and universities should not take political or social stances. Institutional neutrality is increasingly being adopted following the political backlash university leaders felt following protests related to the Israel-Hamas war.
“I almost avoided filling out the survey for fear of losing my job somehow,” said one anonymous liberal arts professor, “[and I] waited about two weeks before getting the courage to take the risk in filling it out.”
