'Rampant Self-Censorship, Worry, and Fear': Freedom Under Fire on US College Campuses

A new survey of thousands of American college faculty yielded some shocking results on free speech and academic freedom, with nearly three-in-10 professors stating they feel unable to speak openly over fears about how students, fellow faculty, and administrators might respond.

This is just one of the eyebrow-raising findings in “Silence in the Classroom: The 2024 FIRE Faculty Survey Report” released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

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“While many faculty remain confident in higher education, and few report explicit threats or experiences of discipline for speech, the broader climate reflects that of rampant self-censorship, worry, and fear, particularly among faculty in the political minority,” the study’s executive summary reads.

Some of the key findings underscore this warning. Thirty-five percent of faculty reported recently toning down writings for fear of sparking controversy.

And when you consider 14% stated they “suffered discipline or threats of discipline for either their teaching, research, academic talks, or other off-campus speech,” these worries and moves become easier to understand.

In the midst of a cancel culture — one that can threaten livelihoods and careers — the notion people sometimes self-sensor is on full display.

This is likely why 40% of faculty expressed worries about damage to their reputations if a person misunderstands their words or deeds, with 23% of faculty fearful about losing their jobs over such a scenario.

Perhaps one of the most troubling statistics is the 23% who believe their own academic departments are “somewhat” or “very” hostile toward people who have the respondents’ political views.

Moderates and conservatives are likelier than liberals to express concerns in these areas. Regarding reputational fears, the political disparity is also overtly clear.

Overall, 35% of liberals, 43% of moderates, and 52% of conservatives expressed worries about reputational fallout if something they’ve said or done is misunderstood. Likewise, 18% of liberals, 27% of moderates, and 32% of conservatives said they feared losing their jobs if misunderstood.

Furthermore, conservative faculty members were much more likely (55%) — three times as much, in fact — than liberals (17%) to report hiding “political beliefs from other faculty in an attempt to keep their jobs,” according to the report.

And in an era when social and political issues often percolate on campuses, most faculty (66%) believe their institutions “should not take positions on political and social issues.”

The FIRE survey was conducted among 6,269 faculty across 55 American four-year colleges and universities. Read the full report here.