Survey: Many US Professors Hold Back on DEI and Politics

Many US professors say they are warier of speaking freely than they were a year ago, and six in ten are less keen on the job itself. A survey run just before the midterm elections puts numbers on both.

The trust problem with AI

The biggest worry named by faculty is not politics but artificial intelligence. Half called the growing use of generative and agentic AI a top concern, more than the 45 percent who pointed to federal interference. Nearly nine in ten said AI has dented their confidence that students' work is authentic. Arts and humanities faculty (92 percent) and social scientists (90 percent) were most likely to say so, against 82 percent in law and business.

About two-thirds, 67 percent, said AI has harmed trust between them and their students. Yet the personal side held up. Most respondents, 53 percent, saw no change in their relationships with students, and 40 percent saw a negative one. Paul LeBlanc, former president of Southern New Hampshire University, called this a sign that faculty can separate distrust of the work from affection for the people.

Which subjects professors avoid

Self-censoring is common. Nearly half of respondents, 47 percent, hold back from public posts such as Facebook updates. Another 43 percent steer clear of some topics with students, and 24 percent shy away from researching or publishing on them. Tenured, tenure-track and contingent faculty answered alike.

By topic, diversity, equity and inclusion leads. Half feel less free to discuss it than a year ago, down from 65 percent in 2024. Black respondents (69 percent) and Hispanic respondents (55 percent) were above the average. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict (45 percent), federal politics (44 percent) and Charlie Kirk (over a quarter) follow. Contraception (11 percent) and vaccines (18 percent) worry people least, both lower than in 2024.

Kristina Brezicha, an associate professor at Neumann University, was not surprised. She pointed to high-profile cases of faculty punished or fired over speech on DEI and Palestine. On federal politics, she said, "many faculty members fear retribution for their statements."

Course materials are affected too. Four in ten leave something off a syllabus they would otherwise include. Republican politicians have been looking closely at syllabi, some instructors have been doxed over theirs, and Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Texas now require public posting.

Wanting out, but staying

About a quarter of faculty would leave their state for political reasons if they could. The figure runs from 2 percent in New England to 37 percent in the Southeast, 39 percent in the Plains states, 49 percent in Florida and 58 percent in Texas.

Other surveys show professors are not moving out at such high rates. Among those who want to go or are unsure, 42 percent cited family in the state and 42 percent the difficulty of finding comparable work. Forty percent said they like their job or institution despite the climate.

Morale and the vote ahead

Six in ten faculty say their enthusiasm has fallen somewhat or significantly over two years. The drop is steepest on the tenure track, where 63 percent report it, against 61 percent for full-time and 51 percent for part-time contingent faculty. Only 9 percent say it has risen.

On the midterms, 32 percent expect a positive effect on their institution's mission and 17 percent a negative one. The other 51 percent expect none. Democrats in the sample are more hopeful (40 percent) than Republicans (10 percent), most of whom expect no change.

Our View

The survey measures what faculty say they avoid, not what happens to them, and it rests on replies to an email invitation. Still, DEI self-censoring fell from 65 to 50 percent since 2024 while six in ten report lower enthusiasm, so less caution on one topic has not meant a happier workforce. How faculty answer the same questions after the midterms would show whether the election changes anything on campus.

Source: Inside Higher Ed