Survey Insights about Students’ Freedom of Expression and Responsibility

Session Abstract: This session will describe Davidson College’s recent effort to understand students’ views on freedom of expression and personal and social responsibility. In light of the increasing political tensions across higher education, Davidson College convened a cross-campus working group composed of representatives from institutional effectiveness, student life, diversity and inclusion, and faculty to develop a student survey assessing the campus climate. Conducted in Spring 2025 with a 20% response rate, the campus-wide student survey contained newly developed items related to Freedom of Expression as well as previously established items from the discontinued Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI) survey. Findings revealed meaningful differences between students that are relevant for other institutions. During the session, we will share an overview of the survey administration, key results, and how we have leveraged these results to inform campus-wide conversations.

Keywords: Surveys, Campus Climate, Freedom of Speech, Decision Support