Canadian University Professors’ Perceptions on Campus Climate, Politics, and Comfort of Expression
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i5.565Keywords:
Academic Freedom, Professors, Campus, Policy, Comfort of ExpressionAbstract
Recent reports have brought attention to declines in academic freedom worldwide, and research from the US indicates that self-censorship among professors is common. To build upon the existing literature on this topic within the Canadian higher education context, this study explored professors’ views on campus climate, censorship, politics, and comfort of expression. A nationwide survey was completed by 1,289 Canadian university professors (54.1% men), aged 29-90 (M = 53.78, SD = 11.34). Findings revealed that one in three professors perceived the campus climate to be hostile to those who shared their perspectives. Two-thirds reported self-censorship during discussions, while nearly one-third reported experiencing censorship by others. Professors also reported concern about potential repercussions associated with the disclosure of their views on sensitive topics. Overall, results suggest a need for stronger protections of academic freedom and interventions that facilitate open expression without concern for potential outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ayse Turkoglu, Gina Cormier, Sara Hughes, Yangyilin Guo, Brian Yim, Robin Dionne, Alix Wong-Min, Rui Tang, Martin Drapeau
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All articles published by CJESS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits third parties to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon the original work provided that the original work and source is appropriately cited.
