From free speech to sustainability, Americans broadly agree that universities should engage in a range of societal issues beyond their core education and research missions - while avoiding political activism, a Cornell economist reports in a new study.
Conducted in late 2024, shortly after President Donald J. Trump had won the election, and following a period when prominent universities came under scrutiny for their handling of student protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, the research also revealed political polarization around some issues.
Among the representative sample of more than 2,000 U.S citizens participating in a survey and allocation experiment, men and conservatives opposed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while women and liberals were supportive.
However, the findings suggest universities - even more than big corporations - have a responsibility to share their expertise and influence, even if people don't fully agree on how.
"There is broad consensus for engagement of universities in a whole range of initiatives, some that are more left-leaning, others that are more right-leaning," said Michèle Belot, the Frances Perkins Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Professor of Economics in the ILR School and College of Arts and Sciences. "Americans generally agree that universities have a broader role to serve in society beyond education and research."
Belot is the first author of "The Role of Universities in Society," published Nov. 7 in Science Advances. Co-authors are Lea Cassar and Karoline Ströhlein, professor and postdoctoral researcher, respectively, in the Department of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Regensburg, Germany.
Colleges and universities, where about 40% of U.S. adults have earned degrees, historically have played significant roles in societal change, from advancing civil rights to promoting environmental sustainability. But as politicians and the media increasingly question that role, the researchers were curious where the public stood on appropriate engagement for universities, benchmarked against major corporations, which also wield substantial influence.
"It's not bad that universities are questioned - they train a lot of people, and a lot of public and private money goes into them, so they should be accountable," Belot said. "It would be good to know what the general public expects from institutions that potentially have such a large impact."
A survey first asked participants if universities or corporations should engage in any of 10 initiatives beyond their core missions: DEI, environmental sustainability, political engagement, speech and expression policies, traditional values, health and well-being, global perspectives, free speech and open dialogue, patriotism and veterans' initiatives.
Only political engagement received a clear "no" regardless of gender, education level or political affiliation. Otherwise, health and well-being received the strongest support, followed by global perspectives. Other activities were seen as appropriate on average, but with more liberal support for DEI and the environment, and more conservative support for free speech, patriotism and veterans.
"Despite these divisions," the researchers wrote, "there is broad consensus that universities should actively support health and well-being initiatives, as well as free speech and open dialogue."
Attitudes toward universities and corporations were similar, they said, with universities expected to engage in "a slightly broader range of social initiatives."
After the survey, participants performed a task forcing them to make tradeoffs conveying their priorities more explicitly. Participants were asked to allocate $30 between pairs of universities based on their rankings in four areas: academic performance, environmental sustainability, DEI and free speech. The rankings were drawn from publicly available information about eight unidentified public and private universities with similar endowments.
Results showed participants cared most about academic performance, with the highest-ranked schools netting $3 more (10% of the total) on average. Sustainability and free speech were next. Strong polarization emerged again around DEI. Higher-ranking universities received more money overall, thanks to support from women and liberals, but substantially less from men ($1) and conservatives ($3).
"Conservatives dislike DEI so much that they are actually willing to sacrifice on academic performance rather than having a university engage in these types of activities," Belot said. "All else equal, they penalize universities that are doing better in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion."
Still, Belot said, the research overall counters narratives that universities should focus only on their core business, and nothing else. Health and well-being stood out as a high priority across demographic groups.
"Universities are uniquely positioned to take the lead in fostering well-being within their communities," the researchers wrote. "By doing so, they can take on a role that transcends ideological divides."
