Reluctance to discuss controversial topics increased in college classrooms from 2019 to 2020 (page 3).
Consistent with 2019, Republican students remained more reluctant to speak about controversial issues than Democrat and Independent students. Nearly half (44-48%) of Republicans were reluctant to discuss politics, the 2020 Presidential Election, or Black Lives Matter in a classroom setting (page 5).
Students were most reluctant to discuss controversial topics when they were the majority demographic for the issue under discussion (e.g., white students were most reluctant to discuss race; page 6).
Students were reluctant to speak up in class because they were concerned other students would criticize their views for being offensive (page 7).
Your generosity supports our non-partisan efforts to advance the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement to improve higher education and academic research.