Universities are supposed to be places where students are exposed to a wide range of ideas and viewpoints, but the status of free speech on campuses has become one of Canada’s biggest hot-button issues. Because some critics charge that a preoccupation with protecting students from hurtful or offensive ideas puts free speech in jeopardy, we decided to find out what students really think. Here’s what more than 16,000 undergraduates across the country had to say in our exclusive student survey.

Political views

Which came first: Universities are often criticized for being liberal echo chambers. While it’s true there are more left-wing undergraduate students than right-wing ones overall, the ratio between the two is similar among first-year students, suggesting most came to school with those views instead of acquiring them from their professors.

Views of differing opinions

A polarized environment: Few students on either side of the political spectrum have a positive perception of those with differing views.