Three quarters of right-wing academics are ‘self-censoring’ their political views on campus amid a higher education ‘monoculture’, report claims

• The Legatum Institute report said right-wing academics have to self-censor
• The study claims left-wing lecturers ‘openly dislike’ those with different views
• Only 35 per cent of left-wing academics feel the need to hide their views

Three quarters of right-leaning academics in British universities say they are having to hide their political views because of the woke orthodoxy in higher education, a new study has revealed.

The report by the Legatum Institute, a centre-right think tank, found the majority of right-wing lecturers have to ‘self-censor’ their beliefs.

The study claims left-wing lecturers ‘openly dislike’ those with different views and those who vote for right-wing parties in elections.

Three quarters of right-leaning academics in British universities say they are having to hide their political views (file image)

Meanwhile only 35 per cent of left-wing academics feel the need to hide their political views on campus, The Telegraph reported. 

Around 70 per cent of those surveyed who identify as left-wing said they disliked right-wing voters, compared to 36 per cent of conservative academics who say they dislike their left-wing counterparts.

More than 650 academics, nearly half of whom were professors, were surveyed across the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.

In Britain, 35 per cent of all academics said they need to self-censor, a lower rate than in the other countries.

The US leads the way with 50 per cent, followed by Canada with 44 per cent and Australia with 39 per cent.

Matthew Goodwin, professor of politics at Kent University and a fellow at the Legatum Institute, said: ‘Academic freedom has long been central to prosperity in the UK and around the world. Yet our findings suggest there are good reasons to be concerned about the extent to which it is being preserved and promoted by our universities.

Matthew Goodwin, professor of politics at Kent University and a fellow at the Legatum Institute, said the report raises concerns about academic freedom

‘We find that academics in the social sciences lean heavily in only one ideological direction while remarkably large numbers of them are concealing their real views when on campus, fearful about what will happen if they are revealed. This should not be happening in a mature, liberal democracy.

‘The good news is that large numbers of academics do say they are committed to academic freedom. But we also find a sizeable minority who clearly view ideological goals as being more important than the core principle of academic freedom

The study also found that 76 per cent of academics disagree with the notion that certain people should be stopped from speaking to students because their views could cause offence.

Only one in ten said speakers who might offend students should be no-platformed. 

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