Poll: Only 9% of UW-Madison faculty identify conservative, 70% liberal

(The Center Square) – Only 9% of University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty identify as conservative while 70% identify as liberal, according to a new faculty poll from the school’s Department of Political Science and Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

The poll also showed that junior faculty were more likely to identify as liberal than senior faculty, meaning the ideological gap could expand in the future.

“The findings paint a picture of an environment where conservative faculty feel marginalized and face differential treatment,” said Center Director Alex Tahk, an associate professor of political science. “But there are also grounds for optimism: large majorities of faculty, regardless of ideology or race, believe it is important for both underrepresented racial groups and conservatives to feel included on campus.”

The survey was sent to 2,388 faculty members with 633 completed responses sent back. Incomplete responses were not included in the results. The survey was firs...