Most Americans Oppose Trump’s Attack on Universities, But They Have Concerns About Campus Cultures, New Survey Finds

A majority of Americans oppose the Trump administration’s attempts to influence university operations by restricting funding, though more than 75 percent are concerned about free speech policies, liberal bias, and discrimination on campus, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The findings of the study — produced by professors from Harvard, Northeastern University, Rutgers University and the University of Rochester to gauge public attitudes toward higher education — show widespread support for higher education and reject Trump’s campaign against them.

But even if they disagree with Trump’s weaponization of federal funds, the report found the underlying frustrations espoused by the President resonated with Americans, regardless of political affiliation.

“It makes sense that if the administration wanted to crack down on institutions of higher education, especially the elite ones, they would go to those areas where the public was likely to be sympathetic,” said HKS professor Matthew A. Baum, one of the lead researchers on the study.

“But that’s different from saying that the cure matches the disease,” he added.

Analyzing data from a July survey of more than 30,000 people across the United States, the researchers described a “clear public mandate against direct political interference” in universities.

Both Democrats and Republicans disapproved of freezing research grants, according to the survey. In fact, nearly half of Republicans surveyed oppose science funding cuts, and 57 percent oppose health research funding cuts.

A plurality of Americans also took issue with attempts to restrict international student visas, cut

diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and threaten tax-exempt status, the survey found.

Baum said the bipartisan opposition to research funding cuts reflected in the study was “off the charts” — a result he said was “surprising” given how aggressively the administration has pursued the strategy.

But 77 percent of Americans, including 72 percent of Democrats, remain concerned about liberal bias, and an even greater share — 84 percent — are concerned about free speech on campus. 87 percent are also worried about tuition costs.

“These are not fringe issues limited to one political ideology,” the report concluded. “The broad consensus indicates that these vulnerabilities are perceived as genuine problems by the American public at large.”

More than 70 percent of respondents also expressed concern about transgender athletes participating in women’s college sports — an issue that affects a small minority but has received outsize media and political attention.

“It’s a vanishingly small issue, but it’s become incredibly salient,” Baum said.

Trump issued an executive order in February banning transgender women from competing on women’s teams. The NCAA quickly followed suit, and Harvard has since removed protections for transgender athletes from its Student Athlete Handbook.

The White House proposed a “social compact” last week to nine public and private colleges that demands schools cap international student enrollment, alter their governance structure, and freeze tuition for five years in exchange for immunity from the President’s attacks.

The University of Texas said they would be open to signing the compact, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology rejected the offer on Friday. Other schools have yet to respond.

Baum said the results of the survey may give universities more confidence in resisting the demands of the White House.

“If I were a university leader, it might bolster my incentive to try and maybe at least think long and hard about how much I’m willing to concede,” Baum said.

And even as universities face flak from the federal government, they remain highly trusted relative to other social institutions. The report found universities are 3.5 times more trusted than Congress and 2.7 times more trusted than the news media.

“There’s still a lot of support for what universities do and the role they play in American society,” Baum said. “The public wants universities, and they want to preserve the role that they play.”

“Or at least, that’s what the data seems to show,” he added.

—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at elise.spenner@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @EliseSpenner.

—Staff writer Tanya J. Vidhun can be reached at tanya.vidhun@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @tanyavidhun.