Many Americans Hold Negative Views of the Ivies

A new survey by the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats found that a significant portion of the American public holds negative views about Ivy League universities and believe campus antisemitism is an important issue.

The survey was fielded by the university’s research organization, NORC, from May 1 to May 5, and included 2,131 American adults. It found that 45 percent of respondents see campus antisemitism as a “serious” or “very serious” issue. Among Republicans, the share was 54 percent, compared to roughly 40 percent of Democrats and 32 percent of Independents.

Meanwhile, 28 percent of respondents said they view Ivy League universities like Harvard and Yale as the “enemy.” A larger share of Republicans, about 47 percent, hold that sentiment, compared to about 11 percent of Democrats and roughly 30 percent of Independents. But 47 percent of Democrats said they were unsure, while 31 percent said they’d characterize Ivies as a “friend.”

Only a quarter of those surveyed believe the federal government should defund Ivy League institutions, similar to a finding in a recent report by the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But the Chicago survey found that only 39 percent of respondents disagree or strongly disagree with the idea, while 27 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of Independents and 36 percent of Republicans expressed ambivalence.