Job Status and Canadian University Professors’ Career Concerns Related to Political Opinion Disclosure
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i4.540Keywords:
Job Status, University Professors, Comfort of Expression, Academic Freedom, CensorshipAbstract
Debates surrounding self-censorship in academic contexts have been gaining momentum in university campuses across North America, with many scholars noting threats to academic freedom. This study examined how job status relates to university professors’ concerns about potential career repercussions if their political opinions were to become known, when controlling for age. Canadian university professors (n = 1,287, 54.1% men) aged 29-90 (M = 53.78, SD = 11.34) completed a nationwide survey. They reported varying levels of concern; while, on average, most professors reported being not very worried, pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences in concerns regarding career repercussions between professors at different points in their career. Professors in senior and tenured positions appeared to report lower levels of concern compared to professors in part-time or non-tenured roles. Findings highlight the need for future research into self-censorship and academic freedom, and developing strategies to protect professors’ academic freedom while mitigating personal harm.
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