Beyond Indoctrination: Do Academics and Extracurriculars Significantly Influence Student Political Ideologies?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Division J - Section 1: College Student Learning and Development in College and Beyond Roundtable 1 (Table 6)

Abstract

This paper investigates why college students often adopt left-leaning political ideologies. Some argue these shifts result from progressive faculty indoctrination (Horowitz, 2004, 2006; Fish, 2004). Others attribute them to peer conformity to institutional norms (Dey, 1996, 1997; Woessner & Kelly-Woessner, 2020). Amidst current national debates and state legislative actions challenging critical race theory, diversity initiatives, and student demonstrations in higher education, understanding these shifts is crucial. Analyzing data from the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey and 2019 College Senior Survey, this study explores how academic and extracurricular involvement influences students’ political ideologies. Results indicate pre-college ideological leanings significantly predict post-college liberal views, suggesting that political ideologies are most influenced by cultural aspects developed before college, rather than by academics or extracurriculars.

Authors

• Juan Pedro Ross-Olivares, University of California - Los Angeles

• Marcelo Alonso Almora Rios, University of California - Los Angeles