A new poll finds that a majority of Californians, including college aged people, believe that the state’s public universities are politically biased in favor of liberals.

It would be fascinating to see such a poll conducted on a national level.

Emily Ekins of Reason reports.

53 Percent Say California Public Universities Teach Political Bias in Classroom

The latest Reason-Rupe poll of Californians found 53 percent believe California public university professors present topics in the classroom in a politically biased way, 24 percent thought these university professors taught in a politically balanced manner.

Among the majority of California who believe the state’s public higher education system promotes political bias, 68 percent said it was a liberal bias while 8 percent thought it was a conservative bias. A fifth said “some other kind of bias” was taught in public university classrooms.

Most telling is that among the age cohort most likely attending California public colleges, 66 percent of 18-24 year-olds believe there is political bias taught in the classroom. Among those who perceive bias, 53 percent say it’s a liberal bias and 5 percent say it’s a conservative bias; 39 percent say its some other kind of bias. Although majorities of nearly every other age cohort also perceive a political bias, they are less likely than the college-age cohort.

Interestingly the more education respondents’ attain, the less likely they are to report political bias in public classrooms. It’s unclear whether this is a result of greater experience at public universities, or individuals’ conforming their values to their environment. For instance, among those with post-graduate degrees, 59 percent are Democratic or lead Democratic compared to 37 percent who are Republican or lean Republican.