Jump to content

Political views of American academics: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
m Research: fix typo, should be 17%
Line 11: Line 11:
In 2013, political scientist [[Neil Gross]] wrote that Rothman, Licther, and Nevitte's corrected data, data collected by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in 2004 and 2005, and Gross' own Politics of the American Professoriate (PAP) survey all concluded that between 50 and 60 percent of professors were liberal, and that it was a "reasonable conclusion" that "between 50% and 60% of academics fall somewhere on the left side of the political spectrum."<ref name=Gross1/>{{rp|56}} As Gross notes, this sets the American professoriate apart from the American public, approximately 17% of whom are leftist or liberal.<ref name=Gross1/>{{rp|7}}
In 2013, political scientist [[Neil Gross]] wrote that Rothman, Licther, and Nevitte's corrected data, data collected by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in 2004 and 2005, and Gross' own Politics of the American Professoriate (PAP) survey all concluded that between 50 and 60 percent of professors were liberal, and that it was a "reasonable conclusion" that "between 50% and 60% of academics fall somewhere on the left side of the political spectrum."<ref name=Gross1/>{{rp|56}} As Gross notes, this sets the American professoriate apart from the American public, approximately 17% of whom are leftist or liberal.<ref name=Gross1/>{{rp|7}}


Surveys conducted by the [[Xavier University]] in Ohio have provided a different explanation of the prevalence of liberal academics in colleges. The survey outlined the so-called 'Self-Selection Hypothesis', which proposed that conservatives were less likely to pursue careers in academia due to a combination of personal preference and belief that they would face more challenges in achieving academic success due in a progressive-dominated field. The study found that conservatives aspired to get into higher-paying jobs, whilst liberals were more likely to be affiliated with community service occupations and were less influenced by monetary gratification.<ref>Phillips, James Cleith. "Appendix To: 'Why Are There so Few Conservatives and Libertarians in Legal Academia? An Empirical Exploration of Three Hypotheses'" SSRN Electronic Journal SSRN Journal: 84-96. Web. 1 May 2016. <http://www.xavier.edu/xjop/documents/Hudson.pdf>.</ref>
Surveys conducted by the [[Xavier University]] in Ohio have provided a different explanation of the prevalence of liberal academics in colleges. The survey outlined the Self-Selection Hypothesis, which proposed that conservatives were less likely to pursue careers in academia due to a combination of personal preference and belief that they would face more challenges in achieving academic success due in a progressive-dominated field. The study found that conservatives aspired to get into higher-paying jobs, whilst liberals were more likely to be affiliated with community service occupations and were less influenced by monetary gratification.<ref>Phillips, James Cleith. "Appendix To: 'Why Are There so Few Conservatives and Libertarians in Legal Academia? An Empirical Exploration of Three Hypotheses'" SSRN Electronic Journal SSRN Journal: 84-96. Web. 1 May 2016. <http://www.xavier.edu/xjop/documents/Hudson.pdf>.</ref>


==Implications==
==Implications==

Revision as of 05:44, 2 February 2017

Liberal bias in academia refers to the perception that academia has had a liberal bias, and that college and university professors are disproportionately liberal compared to the general population. The extent and causes of this perceived bias have been the subject of intensive debate in both academic literature and the popular press.

Research

Prior to the late 1960's, speculation of the existence of liberal bias in higher education was based entirely on anecdotal reports and observations. Starting in 1969, a series of surveys and questionnaires were conducted throughout Canada and the US, which supported the previously untested speculations of the prevalence of progressive-styles of teaching amongst the majority of professors..[1] A Carnegie survey in 1984 found that professors with liberal political views represented a slightly larger percentage of faculty than their conservative counterparts, constituting 39% of faculty as compared to 34% for conservatives.

A 1999 survey conducted by Stanley Rothman, S. Robert Lichter, and Neil Nevitte found that professors with liberal socio-political views outnumbered their conservative counterparts by a ratio of 5 to 1 in the United States, with the former constituting 72% of the faculty body and the later representing 15%.[2] The study was criticized by political scientists Barry Ames, David C. Barker, Chris W. Bonneau, and Christopher J. Carman, who argued that it was "plagued by theoretical and methodological problems that render their conclusions unsustainable by the available evidence."[3] Rothman, Licther and Nevitte's study was later revealed to have contained a coding error, which exaggerated the percentage of professors holding liberal views by 12%.[4]: 55 

In 2013, political scientist Neil Gross wrote that Rothman, Licther, and Nevitte's corrected data, data collected by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in 2004 and 2005, and Gross' own Politics of the American Professoriate (PAP) survey all concluded that between 50 and 60 percent of professors were liberal, and that it was a "reasonable conclusion" that "between 50% and 60% of academics fall somewhere on the left side of the political spectrum."[4]: 56  As Gross notes, this sets the American professoriate apart from the American public, approximately 17% of whom are leftist or liberal.[4]: 7 

Surveys conducted by the Xavier University in Ohio have provided a different explanation of the prevalence of liberal academics in colleges. The survey outlined the Self-Selection Hypothesis, which proposed that conservatives were less likely to pursue careers in academia due to a combination of personal preference and belief that they would face more challenges in achieving academic success due in a progressive-dominated field. The study found that conservatives aspired to get into higher-paying jobs, whilst liberals were more likely to be affiliated with community service occupations and were less influenced by monetary gratification.[5]

Implications

The prevalence of progressive professors in institutions of higher education, some argue, has created an environment that prioritizes political correctness above truthfulness. A report by the California Association of Scholars, put together in 2012 for the UCLA, argues that the lack of balance between liberal and conservative viewpoints has contributed to a culture that espouses socio-cultural and political apologists, whilst marginalizing those with center-right viewpoints.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Inbar, Yoel; Lammers, Joris (September 5, 2012), "Political Diversity in Social and Personality Psychology" (PDF), Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7 (5), SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/1745691612448792, retrieved January 20, 2017{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Forum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1012734
  4. ^ a b c Gross, Neil. Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? Harvard University Press, 2013.
  5. ^ Phillips, James Cleith. "Appendix To: 'Why Are There so Few Conservatives and Libertarians in Legal Academia? An Empirical Exploration of Three Hypotheses'" SSRN Electronic Journal SSRN Journal: 84-96. Web. 1 May 2016. <http://www.xavier.edu/xjop/documents/Hudson.pdf>.
  6. ^ Ellis, John M., Charles L. Geshekter, Peter W. Wood, and Stephen H. Balch. The Corrupting Effect of Political Activism in the University of California. Rep. Los Angeles: California Association of Scholars, 2012. Print.{https://www.nas.org/images/documents/A_Crisis_of_Competence.pdf}