A new survey released by the Tommy G. Thompson Center reveals that 70% of faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison identify as liberal but just 9% call themselves conservative.
A new survey released Saturday by the nonpartisan Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison paints a stark picture of ideological uniformity among faculty, with liberals dominating the ranks in what critics say exemplifies the leftward tilt long afflicting the state’s flagship university.
The survey of tenured and tenure-track faculty found that 70% identify as some form of liberal, while just 9% call themselves conservative — with only 3% identifying as conservative or very conservative. That compares to 28% of the general American public and 21% of Americans with doctoral degrees who identify as conservative, according to the report authored by political science professor Alex Tahk and unveiled on WISN-TV’s “UPFRONT” program.
The imbalance spans nearly every academic field, heaviest in the humanities, and appears to be worsening: Junior faculty are more liberal than their senior colleagues. Notably, faculty of color — including Asian professors — are slightly more conservative than white faculty, undercutting claims that racial diversity initiatives naturally foster viewpoint diversity.
Conservative professors reported feeling far less welcome on campus. 81% said someone with conservative views would feel “not at all” or only “slightly” welcome, and none believed conservatives would feel “very” or “extremely” welcome. Even liberal faculty acknowledged the disparity, though they understated its severity.
Conservatives also expressed less comfort sharing views with colleagues and reported institutional consequences — such as administrative warnings — at far higher rates than liberals when voicing controversial opinions.The findings highlight what many Wisconsin conservatives have long argued: UW-Madison operates as an echo chamber that marginalizes dissenting views through hiring biases and a chilled campus climate. Significant minorities of faculty admitted they would be less likely to hire candidates expressing conservative positions on immigration, abortion, affirmative action or transgender sports, with gaps as large as 38 percentage points.
Tahk, the survey’s lead researcher, noted the data provides empirical backing for concerns about the political climate. “These findings paint a picture of a university where ideological homogeneity may create an environment in which conservative faculty feel marginalized,” the report states.
With a 27% response rate from 2,388 faculty, the survey offers a rare data-driven look at the liberal bias critics say has turned a public institution into an incubator for one-sided progressive orthodoxy.
