A large majority of Canadian university students surveyed in a new study say they can’t safely express their opinion in the classroom without facing negative consequences, particularly those who consider themselves politically moderate, conservative, or very conservative.
“Technically, free speech is protected by the Charter, but in practice, three out of four students heavily censor themselves at Canadian universities for fear of social and academic consequences if their actual views were known,” report co-author David Hunt told The Epoch Times.
The survey found that students who identify as “very liberal” were around four times more likely than conservative students to report never experiencing any mistreatment for their political views, with over 75 percent of “very liberal” students saying they were not at all worried that expressing their political views would result in a complaint, according to the report.
By contrast, 85 percent of those who identify as “very conservative” say they fear a lower grade or negative treatment if they share their honest views, with only 11 percent saying they were “not at all concerned” that sharing their political views would result in a formal complaint.
“The atmosphere in today’s university classroom is conditioning students to not raise diverse perspectives, to not be honest about what they believe and why, and to avoid wrestling with hard questions—the exact opposite of why universities exist,” Hunt said.
The survey also found that among religious students, 15.2 percent of Jewish students said they were mistreated on a daily basis because of their faith, and 84 percent say they have experienced at least one anti-Semitic incident per year. The second largest group reporting daily mistreatment was Christians at 3.5 percent, followed by Muslims at 3.1 percent. “Zero percent” of those who identified as atheist or agnostic reported being mistreated for their beliefs.
In terms of other categories explored in the survey, 46.2 percent of students said they had been treated unfairly at least once per year due to their political views, 39.8 percent of students said they are very or somewhat reluctant to open up about their religious views, 40.2 percent reported being very or somewhat reluctant to speak on a controversial issue involving race, while around half reported being uncomfortable about speaking up on controversial gender and sexuality topics.
The report found that those who do not identify as progressive, secular, liberal, LGBT, or racial minorities felt the least able to speak freely without fear of negative consequences, with students reporting a daily habit of self-censoring to avoid bad marks, conflict, or negative treatment by peers.
“Democracy assumes a diversity of perspectives. But in Canada today, the data reveal that genuine dialogue around such disagreements is rare in the classroom,” Hunt said. “How can we prepare the next generation for the unknown challenges they'll face, if they’ve never learned how to wrestle with controversial matters?”
The report said the survey reflects an overall trend whereby the smallest minority of students feel the most comfortable in expressing their views openly, while a majority of others feel they cannot speak out or be open about their identity and views without fear of significant negative consequences.
The new report calls into question the idea of universities as a place of sharing ideas and wrestling with difficult questions and topics, according to report co-author Dr. Martin Mrazik, neuroscientist and professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.
“There has long been a presumption that university classrooms organically support open inquiry and the exchange of ideas,” said Mrazik. ”Our findings suggest otherwise. The data reveal that students are remaining silent in the classroom for fear of consequences, be they social or academic.”
The survey used a rolling sample approach and surveyed students from 34 universities across Canada between Sept. 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. Participants were anonymous and were drawn from various departments and student groups, with 1,174 students starting the online survey and 760 completing it.
The report’s authors note that potential limitations of the study include that “certain subgroups may be overrepresented while others may be underrepresented or missed entirely,” and that because of the sensitive subject matter it may have led to responses from participants who hold stronger views. In addition, the report’s authors observe that they rely on the accuracy of self-reported demographic and ideological information and couldn’t independently verify it due to the anonymity granted to participants.
