Polarisation and high-emotions have long defined our politics, but shouldn’t our universities be where we’re up for the debate?
One thing most people can agree on, regardless of their place on the political spectrum, is that politics has become increasingly polarising in the past decade. The political climate our parents enjoyed in their young adulthood is a thing of the past. In the United Kingdom and the United States, this division is particularly visible at universities. A study conducted amongst freshmen (first year) students in the United States by Promarket, suggests that this divide is camping us in on the left-right spectrum. Students on both sides are willing to ‘pay extra to not attend a university with a higher share of opposing political views.’ A study conducted by Imperial College London in Austin, Texas, found that conservative and liberal students even socialized in different spaces and made different lifestyle choices along political lines.
In the United Kingdom, university spaces are generally left-leaning spaces. Some right-wing think tanks even argue that the university has become an ‘indoctrinating experience’’ into left-wing politics. The British Election Study found that during the 2019 General Election, those who had up to A-level qualifications were more likely to vote Conservative. But an undergraduate degree and above was characterized by a majority left-wing vote share. Our young people’s social lives are becoming politically entrenched. Would you be close with someone of opposing political views?
We talked to members of a couple of political clubs at the University of Glasgow to gauge social experience on the political spectrum. Alistar, President of the UofG Tory Society, argues that there’s some hysteria amongst people on the right about what university campuses are really like: “You’d be quite a lonely student if you couldn’t be friends with someone on the left”. He finds that there is definitely an assumption made in classrooms and social spaces that everyone shares similar political viewpoints, but voicing opposition is a matter of “personal bravery”. In his experience, there are issues, such as immigration, that prove trickier to discuss than others, but discussing and disagreeing are part of life: “There’s no point escaping one echo chamber on the left to create another one on the right”.
Amelie Burt of GU Labour elaborated on the social realities of being of a specific party. For her, division is not just striking between left-leaning and right-leaning students but between party members and unaffiliated political persons. As part of a long-established party, talking and meeting with representatives from other parties is par for the course. But it’s not particularly “cool” to be a member of the Tory or Labour party right now. Bringing up her membership and active participation within the Labour Party at home and at university can prove “awkward” to talk about with new acquaintances. Many people define their politics outside a party stance, particularly if they are extremely concerned with wedge issues, such as immigration or trans rights. When faced with these topics, people dig their heels in, seeing any compromise as a betrayal of values . Amelie also made sure to distinguish between maintaining friendships with Tories, compared with further right-wing Reform voters. For her, things change when basic human rights issues come into play.
Despite their differing insights,they both agree that the UK has generally become more polarised. Higher education and access to higher education could help lessen these issues, but universities themselves are not necessarily aiding this process. The ‘hysteria’ that Alasdair mentioned on the right about higher education is motivated by mistrust, and breaking down this mistrust is not possible if higher education is inaccessible. A House of Commons Library study found that school-age pupils eligible for free meals in England were less likely to go into higher education, and students from “high-deprivation” areas are more likely “to drop out before the start of their second year in higher education”. Entry rates are twice as high for students from areas with high levels of past participation in higher education as for students from areas with lower participation rates.
In 2016, the BBC found a ‘shocking’ university access gap in Scotland, demonstrating that students from wealthy backgrounds are four times more likely to attend university than those from disadvantaged areas. More recently, The Access Project, which aims to help students facing barriers to education, found that students who lack resources are three times less likely to get into prestigious universities than their privileged peers.
A student’s background doesn’t necessarily predict their political allegiance, and polarisation at UK universities is not as entrenched as data from US colleges suggests, but there is reason to be concerned. To be able to refute right-wing claims that universities are reserved for the elite, action must be taken to actually make them accessible and free spaces for debate. If people from all walks of life had the ability to sit in lectures, give their opinions and assert their knowledge, universities might just be that bit more democratic, and maybe we might get on better.
Why can’t we be friends
Polarisation and high-emotions have long defined our politics, but shouldn’t our universities be where we’re up for the debate?
One thing most people can agree on, regardless of their place on the political spectrum, is that politics has become increasingly polarising in the past decade. The political climate our parents enjoyed in their young adulthood is a thing of the past. In the United Kingdom and the United States, this division is particularly visible at universities. A study conducted amongst freshmen (first year) students in the United States by Promarket, suggests that this divide is camping us in on the left-right spectrum. Students on both sides are willing to ‘pay extra to not attend a university with a higher share of opposing political views.’ A study conducted by Imperial College London in Austin, Texas, found that conservative and liberal students even socialized in different spaces and made different lifestyle choices along political lines.
In the United Kingdom, university spaces are generally left-leaning spaces. Some right-wing think tanks even argue that the university has become an ‘indoctrinating experience’’ into left-wing politics. The British Election Study found that during the 2019 General Election, those who had up to A-level qualifications were more likely to vote Conservative. But an undergraduate degree and above was characterized by a majority left-wing vote share. Our young people’s social lives are becoming politically entrenched. Would you be close with someone of opposing political views?
We talked to members of a couple of political clubs at the University of Glasgow to gauge social experience on the political spectrum. Alistar, President of the UofG Tory Society, argues that there’s some hysteria amongst people on the right about what university campuses are really like: “You’d be quite a lonely student if you couldn’t be friends with someone on the left”. He finds that there is definitely an assumption made in classrooms and social spaces that everyone shares similar political viewpoints, but voicing opposition is a matter of “personal bravery”. In his experience, there are issues, such as immigration, that prove trickier to discuss than others, but discussing and disagreeing are part of life: “There’s no point escaping one echo chamber on the left to create another one on the right”.
Amelie Burt of GU Labour elaborated on the social realities of being of a specific party. For her, division is not just striking between left-leaning and right-leaning students but between party members and unaffiliated political persons. As part of a long-established party, talking and meeting with representatives from other parties is par for the course. But it’s not particularly “cool” to be a member of the Tory or Labour party right now. Bringing up her membership and active participation within the Labour Party at home and at university can prove “awkward” to talk about with new acquaintances. Many people define their politics outside a party stance, particularly if they are extremely concerned with wedge issues, such as immigration or trans rights. When faced with these topics, people dig their heels in, seeing any compromise as a betrayal of values . Amelie also made sure to distinguish between maintaining friendships with Tories, compared with further right-wing Reform voters. For her, things change when basic human rights issues come into play.
Despite their differing insights,they both agree that the UK has generally become more polarised. Higher education and access to higher education could help lessen these issues, but universities themselves are not necessarily aiding this process. The ‘hysteria’ that Alasdair mentioned on the right about higher education is motivated by mistrust, and breaking down this mistrust is not possible if higher education is inaccessible. A House of Commons Library study found that school-age pupils eligible for free meals in England were less likely to go into higher education, and students from “high-deprivation” areas are more likely “to drop out before the start of their second year in higher education”. Entry rates are twice as high for students from areas with high levels of past participation in higher education as for students from areas with lower participation rates.
In 2016, the BBC found a ‘shocking’ university access gap in Scotland, demonstrating that students from wealthy backgrounds are four times more likely to attend university than those from disadvantaged areas. More recently, The Access Project, which aims to help students facing barriers to education, found that students who lack resources are three times less likely to get into prestigious universities than their privileged peers.
A student’s background doesn’t necessarily predict their political allegiance, and polarisation at UK universities is not as entrenched as data from US colleges suggests, but there is reason to be concerned. To be able to refute right-wing claims that universities are reserved for the elite, action must be taken to actually make them accessible and free spaces for debate. If people from all walks of life had the ability to sit in lectures, give their opinions and assert their knowledge, universities might just be that bit more democratic, and maybe we might get on better.
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