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Nearly three-quarters of all college students (70 percent) say they feel at least somewhat comfortable speaking about controversial topics in class, though almost half (42 percent) say that’s because their views align with those of their peers and professors, according to a new report from North Dakota State University.
Published by the university’s Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth, the report assesses student perceptions of intellectual diversity and campus freedom as well as their beliefs about human progress.
“The results reinforce concerns about a lack of tolerance for different viewpoints on campus … and confusion about capitalism and socialism,” said John Bitzan, author of this year’s report, the fourth annual edition. “Nonetheless, there have been some positive changes.”
Among them: About 64 percent of student respondents this year said they were at least somewhat proud to be an American, up 10 percentage points from the year before. Optimism about the future of the country is also up slightly, three percentage points since 2021.
But 71 percent of students still support reporting professors for offensive comments, and 56 percent support reporting fellow students, compared to 74 percent and 59 percent, respectively, last year; this underscores ongoing tensions around free expression on campus.
This year’s report also asked students specifically about their views on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the ethics of artificial intelligence; a majority said they believe in the right to peaceful protests and that using AI for academic work is morally sound.
“The survey shows us that there is much work to be done on campus,” Bitzan said, “but I hope universities can use the results to target areas for improvement.”
