Supporting religious diversity on campus is a surprising consensus among faculty across the red-blue divide

A national survey of 1,000 faculty examined perceptions of university life, free speech, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Results show pronounced divergence among faculty on free speech and DEI questions, with patterns aligning strongly with whether faculty are in states that voted Republican or Democratic in the 2024 presidential election. Responses varied across region, institutional control, type, and discipline, but state political leaning emerged as a key predictor of faculty perceptions about free speech and DEI programming. Despite deep partisan divides, faculty across political contexts largely agreed that religious, spiritual and secular identities should be included in diversity efforts.

Faculty members represent a university's core identity and mission. They express the values of the institution in numerous ways, including teaching, mentoring, advising and researching. In my research into the impact of college on student development and learning, I - and others - have found that faculty are the most important people influencing student learning, development, persistence and degree attainment.

The Templeton Religion Trust, a charity focused on improving societal well-being through understanding individual well-being, funded a recent national survey my team and I administered to 1,000 faculty members. The survey asked faculty about their perceptions of university life, including free speech and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, often shortened to simply DEI. The survey results reveal a striking divergence in perspectives on the often divisive issues of free speech and DEI among faculty.

The survey results reveal a striking divergence in perspectives on the often divisive issues of free speech and DEI among faculty. Those differences showed up particularly along the red state and blue state divide. Yet, amid these deep disagreements, a surprising point of bipartisan consensus emerges: faculty members' belief in the importance of religious, spiritual and secular inclusion in diversity efforts.

Read at The Conversation