Some observers see American academia as a bastion of leftist groupthink that indoctrinates students and silences conservative voices. Others see a protected enclave that naturally produces free-thinking, progressive intellectuals. Both views are self-serving, says Neil Gross, but neither is correct. Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? explains how academic liberalism became a self-reproducing phenomenon, and why Americans on both the left and right should take notice.
Academia employs a higher percentage of liberals than nearly any other profession. But the usual explanations—hiring bias against conservatives, correlations of liberal ideology with high intelligence—do not hold up to scrutiny. Drawing on a range of original research, statistics, and interviews, Gross argues that “political typing” plays an overlooked role in shaping academic liberalism. For historical reasons, the professoriate developed a reputation for liberal politics early in the twentieth century. As this perception spread, it exerted a self-selecting influence on bright young liberals, while deterring equally promising conservatives. Most professors’ political views formed well before they stepped behind the lectern for the first time.
Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? shows how studying the political sympathies of professors and their critics can shed light not only on academic life but on American politics, where the modern conservative movement was built in no small part around opposition to the “liberal elite” in higher education. This divide between academic liberals and nonacademic conservatives makes accord on issues as diverse as climate change, immigration, and foreign policy more difficult.
Okay, this guys study is going to make both sides cringe, and he provides a lot of hard data on a lot of things. I did not read the book, but I listened to a 1 hour interview with him yesterday and saw a lot of videos. He finds different reasons for the results he comes up with, but a couple of key findings....abd btw, he self identifies as a "Lefty" and a proud Progressive
- 50% of all professors are solid Liberals
- 10% of all professors are hardcore Liberals
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/do ... 1&type=pdf
- Students do become Liberal/more Liberal (although he finds it's not substantial, he does find it's true) when they attend college, and the more college they attend, the more Liberal they become. His study was based on a list of questions provided to college freshman, and then the same list of questions as a senior.
