Liberal and Democratic professors continue to largely outnumber conservatives and Republicans in four-year colleges and universities, especially at top-tier institutions, according to a study published in this month's edition of the Forum, an online political science journal.
Of those surveyed, 72 percent of professors identified themselves as "left or liberal," while 15 percent considered themselves to be "right or conservative." In 1984, a different study found that only 39 percent of faculty considered themselves "liberal." The study compared this data with a similar survey taken of the U.S. general public in 2004, in which 18 percent of respondents called themselves "left or liberal" and 33 percent called themselves "right or conservative."
The study also said that liberals, males and non-regular churchgoers are more likely to teach at elite universities, while conservatives, females and regular churchgoers are more often found at less prestigious institutions.
The data came from a 1999 survey conducted by the North American Academic Study Survey, the most recent data that looks at faculty members' self-designation on a left-right scale and political party preference.
The study surveyed 1,643 faculty members from 183 schools across the country and found that the trend transcends academic departments and exists at all institutions, not just those considered to be elite.
Nevertheless, 87 percent of faculty at top-tier institutions admitted to being liberal, which is a percentage significantly higher than that for all colleges and universities, according to the study.
Politics Prof. Larry Sabato said he was not surprised by the outcome of the study.
"Most journalists, actors and academics are liberal, and most businesspersons and bankers are conservative," Sabato said. "It's the way of the world."
Certain academic departments historically have contained a high proportion of liberal professors, such as English literature, in which the survey found 88 percent of the faculty members to be liberal while 3 percent were conservative. Yet the study also found that some departments which are considered to lean towards the more conservative end of the scale, such as business and engineering, still are reflecting the same general trend.
Politics Prof. Lynn Sanders said she believes the gap between liberal and conservative faculty members is not really an issue as long as there is significant representation of the minority voice.
"As long as you can point to departments where you have between a quarter and a third, or a significant, minority representation, you don't need to be terribly worried," Sanders said.
The findings of the survey also raised the question of whether or not students are affected by the political leanings of their professors.
Sabato said in his 34 years at the University, he has seen some professors cross the line in the classroom and be unwilling to consider conservative views from their students, but that is not true for a substantial majority of the faculty.
"We faculty are not potted plants, and we ought to be free to express our own views, with substantive argument, both in and out of the classroom," Sabato said. "At the same time, we have an obligation to be open to other views and never to shove our ideology down the throats of our students. Few academics are guilty of that."
Politics Prof. Steven Rhoads said he does not believe a student's political beliefs would affect his or her grades.
"There are people where we have strong disagreements about politics, and we both tend to see the same people as talented students," Rhoads said. "So I would be doubtful that there is a lot of that in our department where students get marked down because of their political views."
Sanders also said while it is a problem when students are intimidated by their professor's political views and do not speak out, she said she does not think the political leanings of a professor threaten to "shape" or "warp" young minds.
"I think students are really skeptical and would not sit for a professor trying to brainwash them," Sanders said.
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