And in a recent poll, Americans want universities to do more. They think these institutions need to be more than just purveyors of education and research. In late 2024, Michèle Belot successfully studied the effects of President Donald J. Trump’s re-election. As our research found, the mood of the public has turned against universities at a time of heightening media attention during student protests responding to the Israel-Hamas war.
That survey, of more than 2,000 Americans, found broad agreement that universities have a role to play in addressing major societal challenges. Participants were tasked with allocating $30 between pairs of universities based on rankings in four key areas: academic performance, environmental sustainability, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and free speech. Here’s what we found. APTA members ranked academic performance #1 as their highest priority. Specifically, these highest-ranked institutions were cumulatively awarded an additional $3 — or 10% of the total amount awarded.
These findings pointed to a stark gap in funding along gender and party lines. To be clear, more prestigious universities with higher overall elite ranks drew in more funding across the board and female and liberal donors gave substantially more than males and conservatives. In particular, men spent just $1 less on better-ranked institutions whereas conservatives spent $3 less than their liberal counterparts. This upward trend is consistent with some of the survey results. Men and conservatives are largely against DEI efforts, with women and liberals heavily in favor of these programs.
Even as they acknowledge the role of universities in tackling social issues, Americans overwhelmingly reject this kind of political activism from universities. The report compared ten initiatives outside traditional educational missions—like environmental sustainability and free speech. Though respondents were in favor of universities addressing these challenges, they were clear about where they wanted to draw the line—engaging politically.
Historically, colleges and universities have been instrumental in driving societal change, notably in advancing civil rights and promoting environmental sustainability. The recent public survey marks a significant turning point from that era. People increasingly expect universities to be outspoken on political issues.