Furman Student Newspaper Survey Shows Social Impact of Political Divisions

"Almost half of Democrats expressed a degree of unwillingness to be friends with people who voted differently."

The following is published with permission of the Furman Free Speech Alliance, on whose substack it first appeared.

Furman’s student newspaper, The Paladin, conducted a “Presidential Election Sentiments Survey” prior to the 2024 Election. With 638 responses, the article shared student data on voter issues, candidate preference, and the social impact of political divisions on campus.

The survey revealed that while the majority of Republican students reported a degree of willingness to be friends with people who voted differently than them this election, “almost half” of Democrats showed unwillingness to be friends across party lines.

“There is no tolerance for conservatives at this school, among students or faculty. To succeed here and prevent ostracism, you have to be, or pretend to be, liberal. It’s very distressing, and I don’t feel like I can be myself here,” one independent respondent wrote.

Also of note, 55% of Democratic, Republican, and independent student respondents believe the election has had a negative impact at Furman. Both Republican and Democratic respondents believed that Furmans student body is “more left-leaning” compared to other universities.

This survey echoes data from the 2024 College Free Speech Rankings, which showed that 63% of students report some level of self-censorship “because of how other students, a professor, or the administration would respond.” The Furman Free Speech Alliance was founded to help promote and protect free expression at Furman, and this election survey by The Paladin shows the University still has a long way to go.

Read more about the Presidential Election Sentiments Survey by The Paladin here.

More on the free speech climate at Furman can be found here.