Brown University Political Ideology Survey
A poll by Brown University’s student newspaper reveals that a small percentage of students identify as conservative, with many feeling hesitant to express their beliefs publicly.
The survey, conducted by the Brown Daily Herald, indicated that just 0.8% of the roughly 11,000 students identified as “very conservative.” Only 5.3% saw themselves as “somewhat conservative.” Moderates made up 13.3%, whereas 41.1% identified as “somewhat liberal or progressive,” and over 36% considered themselves “very liberal or progressive.”
The poll gathered responses from 1,369 students regarding their political ideologies.
When asked about their comfort level in expressing political views, nearly 72% of those identifying as “very or somewhat conservative” reported feeling afraid to share their opinions in social settings. In contrast, only 40.2% of “somewhat liberal or progressive” students felt the same, alongside about 37% of “very liberal or progressive” students.
A significant number of conservative students, 57.5%, felt uncomfortable voicing their political thoughts in class. This is compared to just 21.1% of “somewhat liberal or progressive” students and 26% of “very liberal or progressive” students.
For comfort levels regarding political opinions, the poll surveyed 1,364 students.
Interestingly, around 70% of Brown students indicated that having political views align with those of their friends is important to them.
The survey also explored students’ sexual orientations. It was noted that the Class of 2029 is 10.7% more likely to identify as non-straight compared to the Class of 2026. More than 44% of first-year students reported they are not straight, while 33.7% of students set to graduate in the spring shared the same sentiment.
An additional point to mention is that only 60.5% of Brown students identify as heterosexual, marking a noticeable difference compared to general demographics, where studies suggest that over 90% of Americans identify as straight.
Requests for comments from Brown University went unanswered.
