Sunday, July 8, 2007
Bias 'Problem' Among College Professors
As legislation is introduced in more than a dozen states across the country to counter political pressure and proselytizing on students in college classrooms, a majority of Americans believe the political bias of college professors is a serious problem, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.
Nearly six in 10 - 58 percent - said they see it as a serious problem, with 39 percent saying it was a "very serious" problem.
The online survey of 9,464 adult respondents nationwide was conducted July 5-9, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1 percentage point.
Predictably, whether political bias is a problem depends greatly on the philosophy of the respondents. While 91 percent of very conservative adults said the bias is a "serious problem," just 3 percent of liberals agreed.
Conservatives have long held that college campuses are a haven for liberal professors. The activist group Students for Academic Freedom, founded by David Horowitz, has promoted state legislation invoking a "Students Bill of Rights" on campuses to protect conservative students from academic reprisals by professors who hold contradictory beliefs.
Men were much more likely than women to see the bias of professors as a problem - 64 percent of men agreed, while 53 percent of women said the same.
Whites were twice as likely to call it a "serious problem" as African-Americans, the survey showed.
The survey also showed that an overwhelming majority also believe that job security for college professors leaves them less motivated to do a good job than those professors who do not enjoy a tenured status - 65 percent said they believe non-tenured professors are more motivated to do a good job in the classroom.
Asked whether they think the quality of a college education today is better or worse than it was 25 years ago, 46 percent said they think it is worse, while 29 percent said it is better. Another 16 percent said the quality now is about the same as it was a generation ago.
As legislation is introduced in more than a dozen states across the country to counter political pressure and proselytizing on students in college classrooms, a majority of Americans believe the political bias of college professors is a serious problem, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.
Nearly six in 10 - 58 percent - said they see it as a serious problem, with 39 percent saying it was a "very serious" problem.
The online survey of 9,464 adult respondents nationwide was conducted July 5-9, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1 percentage point.
Predictably, whether political bias is a problem depends greatly on the philosophy of the respondents. While 91 percent of very conservative adults said the bias is a "serious problem," just 3 percent of liberals agreed.
Conservatives have long held that college campuses are a haven for liberal professors. The activist group Students for Academic Freedom, founded by David Horowitz, has promoted state legislation invoking a "Students Bill of Rights" on campuses to protect conservative students from academic reprisals by professors who hold contradictory beliefs.
Men were much more likely than women to see the bias of professors as a problem - 64 percent of men agreed, while 53 percent of women said the same.
Whites were twice as likely to call it a "serious problem" as African-Americans, the survey showed.
The survey also showed that an overwhelming majority also believe that job security for college professors leaves them less motivated to do a good job than those professors who do not enjoy a tenured status - 65 percent said they believe non-tenured professors are more motivated to do a good job in the classroom.
Asked whether they think the quality of a college education today is better or worse than it was 25 years ago, 46 percent said they think it is worse, while 29 percent said it is better. Another 16 percent said the quality now is about the same as it was a generation ago.
