Students are often self-censoring because they fear the social and academic consequences of raising controversial topics, a new study published by the Office for Students (OfS) has found.

Drawing on a YouGov survey of just over 1,000 students at English universities, the  commissioned by England’s higher education regulator found one in five students (20 per cent) did not feel free to raise controversial topics in in-person seminars – a figure that rose to 28 per cent for online discussions, 30 per cent for in-person lectures and 32 per cent for online talks.

Asked which topics they believed were off limits within in-person seminars, 52 per cent said race or racism, 50 per cent said immigration and 45 per cent mentioned sex and gender, according to the study .

On why they feared raising a controversial topic in class, 69 per cent of those who reported self-censoring cited the fear of social consequences, such as people thinking poorly of them or being ostracised by peers, 49 per cent worried about causing offence and 42 per cent cited the fear of academic consequences.

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In follow-up interviews with 42 students, many respondents mentioned the Israel-Palestine conflict as a topic on which they frequently held back “due to fear of accusations of anti-semitism or disciplinary action after witnessing others facing academic consequences”, the report explains.

Transgender rights are “also avoided due to the polarised political climate” and perception that this issue is “emotionally charged”, it continues, noting how students also admitted they “refrain from sharing religious beliefs for fear of ridicule or social exclusion”.

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Some international students expressed heightened anxiety that controversial comments or disagreement with tutors could negatively affect their grades or their position at university, the report adds.

The vast majority of those polled (84 per cent) said they are aware they had some rights relating to freedom of speech but nearly half (49 per cent) said they “knew little” about these rights. Overall, 76 per cent felt their free speech rights were well protected against 14 per cent who felt they were not.

On whether their university would prioritise free speech over other considerations, only 37 per cent of students felt their institution would prioritise free speech over causing offence, while 38 per cent thought their university would prioritise not causing offence over free speech. Twenty-four per cent said they did not know.

Sixty per cent of students said their university prioritised safety of staff and students over upholding free speech, while only 17 per cent said free speech was paramount in this area.

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Arif Ahmed, the OfS’ director for freedom of speech and academic freedom, said the results showed that “students care deeply” about their free speech rights.

“It’s important that we and the institutions we regulate have a good understanding of how students feel and think about these issues. And institutions must also bring their own relevant free speech duties, and their own free speech code, to the attention of all their students,” said Ahmed.

He urged institutions to use the research to consider the “barriers their students may face in speaking up, and about how they might empower them to do so more freely”.

“We welcome conversations with institutions that have questions about their approach to free speech ahead of the new complaints scheme being implemented in September,” said Ahmed.

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jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com