Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of Students at Four-year Public Universities in North Carolina

North Carolina’s leading public universities have adopted important policies to protect free expression on campus. However, as the following survey from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and College Pulse shows, these institutions still have more work to do to build a true culture of campus freedom.

Our survey of 2,270 undergraduates and recent alumni from East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina–Charlotte, and UNC–Greensboro reveals a mix of support for and intolerance of free expression. For example, while 71% of undergraduates say their campus is welcoming to students who hold unpopular political opinions, nearly half say shouting down a campus speaker is always or sometimes acceptable. A combination of openness and hostility to intellectual diversity is also present. While 56% of undergraduates say it is important to expose students to all viewpoints, nearly two-thirds say that professors should be reported to the university if they say something that students find offensive.

Our survey uncovers differences in these and other results between the five universities and among different student demographic groups. Explore the full survey report to learn more.

Visit our North Carolina Report Card for a complete assessment of all five universities against ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™.