A new study published by researchers Forest Romm and Kevin Waldman reveals that over 80% of college students across two campuses have pretended to hold more progressive views to avoid social or academic disadvantages. Conducted with 1,452 interviews, the study highlights the pressure students face to conform to a liberal campus climate, often resorting to performative virtue signaling as a form of self-preservation.
The findings come as one of the researchers, Kevin Waldman, has authored an opinion piece for The Hill titled ‘Performative virtue-signaling has become a threat to higher ed’ which criticizes the campus environment for fostering a culture where students must adapt to left-wing norms to succeed. The study, conducted between 2023 and 2025, focused on undergraduates at both Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, uncovering a troubling pattern of students who camouflage their true beliefs to fit into the prevailing ideological framework.
One of the most striking findings was that 88% of respondents admitted to pretending to hold more progressive views than they truly endorse to increase their chances of social or academic success. The researchers noted that these students were not acting out of cynicism but rather adapting to the pressures of their environment. “In a campus environment where grades, leadership, and peer belonging often hinge on fluency in performative morality, young adults quickly learn to rehearse what is safe,” the study’s authors said.
The researchers also pointed out that students are not only conforming in academic settings but are also altering their behavior in their personal lives. Seventy-three percent of students reported mistrust in conversations about values with close friends, and nearly half said they routinely conceal their beliefs in intimate relationships for fear of ideological fallout. This trend suggests that the pressure to conform extends beyond the campus and into the private sphere, creating a culture of identity regulation that is becoming institutionalized.
One particularly controversial finding was that only 7% of respondents embraced the idea of