Purdue students seem more than comfortable expressing their political beliefs inside the classroom, despite disapproval from some.
Researchers from the Cato Institute, a think tank based in Washington D.C., interviewed 2,108 Americans for a study published in 2020 and asked them multiple questions, including a statement they could agree or disagree to: “The political climate these days prevents me from saying things I believe because others might find them offensive.”
About 52% of self-identified Democrats agreed with the statement and 77% of self-identified Republicans agreed with the statement.
Political science professor Logan Strother said while he wasn’t familiar with the study, assuming that there is a “genuine partisan difference,” the study raised interesting opinions.
“I suspect some of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy, where Republicans disproportionately expect to be punished for their opinions based on partisan media coverage of higher education,” he said. “But this is a guess, to be clear.”
Abigail Cederdahl, a junior in the Krannert School of Management, said constantly being introduced to new people and ideas on campus had directly affected her political affectations.
“I’ve met a lot of people that I probably wouldn’t have been around or exposed to at different campuses,” she said. “Hearing other people’s opinions has definitely shaped how I think and affected the way I react to certain things.”
Annie Berger, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said that coming from New York to the Midwest introduced its own kind of learning curve as she adjusted to Purdue.
“I definitely lean left and come from a primarily leftist city,” Berger said. “So coming to a place that’s more politically mixed has exposed me to a much wider range of opinions.”
Students are encouraged to share their political opinions in class, said Shreya Jain, a sophomore in the College of Liberal Arts.
“Sometimes we run into the situation where a few people dominate most of the discussion,” she said, “but the professors I have had have done their best to work around this issue and try to make everyone feel involved.”
Some students aren’t afraid to speak up, but their gender influences how people react to their opinions.
“I feel like I can definitely speak my mind even when I am not agreeing with the majority of the class or the group I am with,” Cederdahl said. “But I think also because I’m a woman, that kind of affects how other people react to my opinions. It’s not taken as harshly or as seriously.”
Jain echoed Cederdahl’s thoughts on the role gender played in how their ideas are received.
“It’s also hard to feel like I am being heard sometimes,” Jain said in an email. “The political sphere is dominated by men, and it’s harder and sometimes more tiring to get your point across as a woman.”
Strother said he feels classrooms are a place for “learning … not a place to debate normative, ethical or partisan preferences.”
“A day in my intro to public policy course, for example, might find us talking about veto points, collective action problems or electoral incentives,” he said. “Unpacking central concepts and theories is the central focus of the class, and what we spend all of our time on — debating policy preferences is simply irrelevant to the purpose of the course.”
Other students said they feel they have a certain amount of privilege, which eases the process of speaking up.
“I do personally feel comfortable sharing my opinions, partially due to Purdue having a fairly mixed demographic,” Berger said. “However, I am coming from a place of privilege as a white woman, where I can express the same opinions that may put others in uncomfortable and even dangerous positions.
“I am always going to have a level of privilege that makes it easier for me to advocate without scrutiny.”
Jain said she was part of a class where a student made several conservative arguments about immigration and other liberal students refuted his points.
“It was an incredibly heated discussion and there would have been a lot more ad (hominem) attacks made if the professor didn’t moderate as well as she did,” she said.
Jain said she believes a big part of the problem is that people come into political discussions hoping to change someone else’s mind.
“It would be more beneficial if we could all try and hear each other out,” she said, “and then respond with the intention of making ourselves heard and understood.”
