A new survey from International House Berkeley has laid bare the chilling effect of current political tensions on international students’ speech, as respondents report discomfort expressing controversial views outside of residential areas.
“Universities are meant to be places where ideas are challenged and refined through dialogue,” said Shaun Carver, executive director of the multicultural residential centre known as I-House Berkeley.
“If people feel they need to stay silent, classrooms become narrower and discussions become less honest, while everyone misses the chance to learn from perspectives that may differ from their own,” he added.
In the survey, 83% of students and scholars said conversations about immigration, global conflict or US regulations had impacted how safe they felt in expressing themselves, with 19% finding the impact “significant”.
What’s more, 86% indicated broader issues had influenced their willingness to share views in academic spaces or on social media.
“When hesitation becomes the norm, polarisation can deepen because assumptions go unchallenged and people retreat into smaller circles,” said Carver.
But he highlighted that students still want engagement: “They’re asking us for environments where difficult conversations can happen constructively”.
If the goal is to retain that talent after graduation, students need to experience genuine openness while they’re here
Shaun Carver, I-House Berkeley
While students reported considerable self-censoring of views in classrooms and on social media, 68% said they felt safe sharing views within the I-House community even when others disagree.
The multicultural residential centre is home to 600 students and scholars from over 70 countries, over 120 of whom responded to the survey.
In a bid to create constructive dialogue, the housing model is based on shared meals, diverse roommate pairings and intentional programming, driven by the idea that intentional community design can create stability for students to engage across differences.
Elsewhere, however, US immigration policy debates and geopolitical tensions have created what one respondent called a “quiet undercurrent of fear”.
International students have become central targets of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with last spring seeing the unexpected revocation of thousands of student visas, alongside several high-profile arrests linked to students’ pro-Palestinian expression.
While the Trump administration has accused universities of fostering antisemitism and has tried to prohibit political demonstrations on campus, the survey’s authors said the findings challenged common narratives about campus discourse.
“Students overwhelmingly favour engagement over disruption, with the vast majority supporting peaceful protest and dialogue, while virtually no respondents endorsed tactics such as shouting down speakers, blocking attendance or using force,” they said.
And while Carver emphasised the value of building supportive environments to encourage open dialogue, he acknowledged concerns about the current national discourse impacting students’ perceptions and experiences of studying in the US.
“When students find spaces where they feel respected and heard, it can reinforce the best of what the US represents at its strongest,” he said.
“The bigger lesson is that attracting global talent is only part of the equation. If the goal is to retain that talent after graduation, students need to experience genuine openness while they’re here.”
