WASHINGTON, D.C. — About three-quarters of currently enrolled bachelor’s degree students say their college or university does an “excellent” (31%) or “good” job (43%) promoting free speech on campus. Nineteen percent say their institution is “only fair” at promoting free speech, while 5% say their school does a “poor” job. Republican, Democratic and politically independent students are about equally likely to say their school does an excellent or good job promoting free speech.
These results are part of the Lumina Foundation-优蜜传媒2025 State of Higher Education Study, conducted Oct. 2-31, 2024, via a web survey of 2,327 adults who are currently enrolled in a four-year degree program.
The 2023-2024 academic year was marked by major protests on some college campuses, mostly protesting the Israel-Hamas war and the United States’ and universities’ responses to it. Those protests received significant media attention and inspired discussions about free speech, the disruption of campus operations and the protection of students. Some university presidents testified before Congress about their handling of those protests, with a few ultimately resigning from their positions amid the fallout from those hearings.
Most Students Feel Respected by Peers and Faculty
About three-quarters of students pursuing their bachelor’s degree strongly agree or agree that they feel respected by other students at their school. Feelings of respect are consistent across subgroups of students, including by gender and political party identification. One exception is seen in a slightly lower rate of perceived respect among Black students (69%) than among Asian, White and Hispanic students, all at 75%.
Similarly, the vast majority of bachelor’s degree students (82%) say they feel respected by faculty at their institution. Opinions are also similar across gender and political party groups but show minor differences among racial/ethnic groups. White and Hispanic students are more likely than Asian and Black students to say they feel respected by their faculty.
Though the survey did collect information on student religious affiliation, the sample sizes for all religious groups are not large enough to report estimates by religious affiliation.
Most Students Feel Like They Belong at Their School
Feelings of belonging are consistent with the levels of respect students perceive from their faculty and peers, as 70% of bachelor’s degree students strongly agree or agree that they feel like they belong at their institution. Female students are slightly less likely than their male peers to feel like they belong, while agreement rates are consistent across racial/ethnic groups. Similar proportions of Democratic (68%) and Republican students (69%) strongly agree or agree that they belong on their campus, with a slightly higher proportion of independent students (75%) saying the same.
Bottom Line
Amid significant national debate over free speech protections on college campuses, particularly in response to last year’s protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, most students report that their institution fosters a respectful and open environment. The majority of bachelor’s degree students believe their college does a good job of promoting free speech, with similar ratings across political affiliations.
Additionally, most students say they feel respected by both their peers and faculty, and a substantial majority report a sense of belonging at their institution. These findings suggest that although high-profile controversies have sparked public discourse about campus tensions, most students feel their school does a good job promoting free speech, respect and feelings of belonging on campus.
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