UW-System Relaunching Free Speech Survey

Sunday, November 13th, 2022 -- 11:00 AM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) The University of Wisconsin System will relaunch a student free speech survey that spurred the resignation of a chancellor six months earlier.

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, the survey is aimed at gauging attitudes toward free speech, viewpoint diversity and self-censorship at the state's 13 universities.

The 29-page survey will be sent to random samples of students on each UW campus with researchers hoping for a minimum of 500 responses, according to a UW System press release issued Friday.

The questions are multiple choice and ask students things such as how likely they are to consider viewpoints they disagree with on topics like abortion, immigration, racial inequality and gender identity.

It also asks students whether they've felt pressured by an instructor to agree with political or ideological views expressed in class and if they've been reprimanded for disagreeing with an instructor.

Toward the end of the survey, students are asked to provide their enrollment status, race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation and what political party they most identify with. Those who complete the survey will receive a $10 gift card. 

During a call with reporters Friday, UW System President Jay Rothman said the research project is aimed at ensuring the UW System is "committed to being a marketplace of ideas, a place where nuanced and complicated issues can be discussed openly, freely and civilly."

"We want passionate debate on tough issues in a way that people can learn and ask questions without being labeled or tainted," Rothman said. "We're not going to solve the issues that we have as a society, which are challenging and complicated, by soundbites and tweets."

Rothman said the survey has been vetted by outside experts and UW System shared governance groups.

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