2023 AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT FREEDOM, PROGRESS AND FLOURISHING SURVEY
John Bitzan, Ph.D.
There are significant differences between students with different political ideologies in the reasons that they feel comfortable sharing their opinions on such topics. 55 percent of liberal students who are comfortable sharing their opinions on controversial or sensitive topics are comfortable because they believe professors and other students agree with them. In contrast, only 30 percent of conservative students who feel comfortable sharing opinions on such topics are comfortable because they believe others agree with them.
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A number of programs at universities across the country aim to teach and facilitate civil discourse among students. 21 percent of the students surveyed report participating in such a program during the last year.Of the students that have participated in a civil discourse program over the last year, 74 percent say it has made them more comfortable sharing their opinion and discussing controversial/sensitive topics with others. 31 percent of these students say it has made them “much more comfortable,” and another 43 percent say it has made them “somewhat more comfortable.” Only 6 percent say it has made them less comfortable