Most faculty support viewpoint diversity but struggle to practice it: survey

A sizable minority of college faculty are not regularly engaging with people who disagree with them, a recent national survey found. 

Heterodox Academy, an organization advocating for viewpoint diversity in higher education, conducted the survey, which examined professors’ opinions on the benefits of hearing opposing views for their field. They partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago. The responses drew from 3,563 faculty members from a variety of public and private universities across the country.

Despite resounding vocal acknowledgement of the importance of diversity of thought, the survey showed a large minority of university faculty do not robustly practice it. “Nearly 30% of faculty report not regularly engaging with anyone who disagrees with them on substantive issues in their discipline,” the survey stated.