Freedom of Academic Debate: For All or for the Chosen Ones? Students’ Attitudes Towards Freedom of Speech Limits for Academics

Keywords: academic debate, freedom of speech, academic freedom, cancel culture, punitiveness, worldview

English abstract: The results show that students relatively commonly demand that such persons be dismissed from the university or banned from academic activities: application of the harshest consequences was proposed at least once by 38% of respondents. The survey also showed that the respondents’ worldview had a key influence on their decisions: when it was in line with the worldview described in the story, respondents were much more accepting. Meanwhile, neither gender, age, nor the declared value attributed to freedom of speech were significant predictors of acceptance. The obtained results significantly contribute to the discussion about contemporary trends in freedom of speech restriction in academia. They should be taken into account when planning actions aiming at safeguarding academic freedoms. They can also help better understand the sources of academic punitiveness and draw attention to the risks associated with its subjective nature.

Language: polish

Published: Number 4(2025), pp. 21–45.

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