COLUMN: Think Again – University classrooms are too one-sided

Universities should be places where all ideas are welcomed and explored. In many Canadian university classrooms, however, only the “correct” viewpoint is heard.

According to a new survey of 1,200 Canadian university students and recent graduates conducted by Leger and published by the Fraser Institute, politically left-of-centre students were far more likely than their right-of-centre classmates to report that their views were welcomed and encouraged in class.

For example, 83 percent of right-leaning students believe that professors advocate a left-of-centre view — and 45 percent of left-leaning students agree with them. Forty-two percent of right-leaning students say they experienced a classroom environment that limited questions and discussion on controversial topics to only one side of the argument. Only 29 percent of left-leaning students felt the same way.

To make matters worse, 50 percent of right-leaning students said they sometimes felt uncomfortable expressing their opinions due to the views of the professors leading the class. Only 36 percent of left-leaning students reported the same experience. When asked whether there was a “safe” point of view on controversial topics in university classes, a majority from both groups answered “yes” — with little difference between right-leaning students (58 percent) and left-leaning students (51 percent).

When both sides agree there’s a “safe” side to the argument, and students holding minority views feel less safe, that’s worrying.

A significant number of right-leaning students (37 percent) also said they feared formal consequences for expressing honest thoughts or opinions or even asking questions in their classes. Among right-leaning students who expressed this concern, 74 percent feared their professors would lower their grades for expressing the “wrong” opinion in class.

When students feel their grades are at risk, they’re far less likely to express their genuine opinions or even ask questions during class discussions. Not only does this make classes less interesting, but it also undermines the entire purpose of a university education.

Other studies have also revealed the politically one-sided nature of university campuses. For example, a 2022 survey published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute found that 88 percent of Canadian university professors vote for parties of the left, while only nine percent support parties on the right. No wonder students feel their classroom discussions are consistently one-sided.

A 2024 survey published by Heterodox Academy and College Plus found that most students were reluctant to discuss issues such as transgender identity or the current Israel/Hamas conflict, while almost half were reluctant to even broach the subject of politics. More alarmingly, most students favoured limiting free expression on campus.

While many university professors are quick to describe themselves as strong supporters of diversity, their support seems not to extend to diversity of thought. A truly diverse campus would welcome a variety of intellectual perspectives in the spirit of open and scholarly debate. A campus where everyone looks different but thinks the same is not meaningfully diverse.

Things won’t change overnight. But the first step in dealing with a problem is to admit you have one. University administrators, professors and politicians need to acknowledge that the current lack of viewpoint diversity on campus is a serious problem. Democracies function best when people freely express and vigorously debate competing ideas. Institutions of higher learning should exemplify what free and open discussion looks like.

There’s nothing wrong with professors holding political views and sharing those views with their students, but they should not restrict free and open debate in their classrooms. We must ensure that all students, including those whose opinions are in the minority, are guaranteed the right to share their views without fear of reprisal.

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.