Canadian Student Views on University Campus Climate, Expression, Politics, and Policies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i1.463Keywords:
Academic Freedom, Expression, Censorship, Diversity, Campus ClimateAbstract
Universities are significant drivers of economic prosperity, train future generations of thinkers and professionals in various fields, advance knowledge in a multitude of disciplines, and shape the minds of many students. To meet their goals, universities must offer quality education and an open learning environment. This environment is made possible, in part, by the safeguard of academic freedom. There is evidence to suggest that academic freedom may be under threat in universities, perhaps especially in the United States. However, data on these issues is scarce for Canadian universities. The present study aimed to address this gap by documenting the perceived state of academic freedom, self-censorship, openness versus reluctance to discuss sensitive topics, anticipated consequences of expressing oneself, and other related issues. Data was collected from 2409 participants at universities throughout Canada. Results show that, similar to the American findings, there is relatively high reported self-censorship among Canadian university students, and high student reluctance to discuss sensitive or controversial topics on campuses or in the classroom. Among other findings such as students’ ratings on reasons for reluctance of expression, these suggest a need for continued and urgent emphasis on improving discourse to allow students to fully engage with their studies without fear of question or comment.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gina L Cormier, Yangyilin Guo, Brian Yim, Ayse Turkoglu, Alix Wong-Min, Rui Tang, Robin Dionne, Yuan Ji, Martin Drapeau
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