Data sets from: The role of universities in society
Data files
Oct 29, 2025 version files 15.76 MB
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Belot_COMPANIES_ALL_DATA.dta
510.12 KB
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Belot_data_DCE.dta
12.83 MB
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Belot_roleofuniversities_figures.ipynb
716.85 KB
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Belot_The_role_of_universities.do
75.64 KB
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Belot_UNI_ALL_DATA.dta
1.25 MB
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Belot_UNI_DCE_wide.dta
156.17 KB
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Belot_UNI_demographic.dta
209.20 KB
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Belot_UNI_scenario.dta
9.46 KB
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README.md
2.31 KB
Abstract
This study examines public views on universities’ societal roles beyond education and research. A representative sample of 2,089 U.S. citizens evaluates whether universities should engage in initiatives such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Free Speech, and Environmental Sustainability, benchmarking views against corporations. We include an incentivized experiment asking respondents to allocate money between universities based on performance on various dimensions. Results show broad support for engagement in initiatives related to environmental sustainability, well-being, and free speech, but opposition to political activism. Views on DEI are polarized: Women and liberals reward universities excelling in DEI, but conservatives and men penalize them, even when academic performance is equal. These findings highlight the polarization surrounding universities’ societal roles.
The files stored in this repository replicate the analysis presented in the paper "The Role of Universities in Society."
The analysis was conducted in Stata 16 (Stata do-file 'Belot_Role_of_universities.do'). The do-file reproduces all tables presented in the Supplementary Materials
Figures 1-3 were created using Python (Python file Belot_figures.ipynb), based on analyses run in the main do-file
Please look at the titles in the do-file for identifying the analysis corresponding to each table
Main analysis: STATA DO-FILE 'Belot_The_role_of_universities.do'
The do-file is structed in three sections
- Section 1: Analysis based on part 1 of the surveys
- Section 2: Analysis based on part 2 of the survey focused on universities (allocation task experiment)
- Section 3: Analysis of correlations in responses in Parts 1 and 2 (RESULTS REPORTED UNDER 'REsults/Allocation Task')
Relevant datasets:
For Section 1:
- Belot_UNI_ALL_DATA.dta: Dataset containing all original data from the University Survey
- Belot_COMPANIES_ALL_DATA.dta: Dataset containing all original data from the Corporations Survey
For Section 2 (allocation task experiment):
- Belot_UNI_DCE_wide.dta: Allocation decisions in wide format
- Belot_UNI_scenario.dta: Scenarios (ranking of universities)
- Belot_UNI_demographic.dta: Demographic data from respondents (from Part 3 of the survey)
For Section 3
- Belot_data_DCE.dta: Allocation decisions in long format
- Belot_UNI_ALL_DATA.dta
Figures 1, 2 and 3 can be replicated using the Python code in Belot_roleofuniversities_figures.ipynb
Human subjects data
I confirm that I received explicit consent from your participants to publish the de-identified data in the public domain. We deleted all personal identifiers (Prolific IDs) and the remaining variables do not allow for identification of individuals. Our informed consent form included the following statement:
"All data used for research purposes will be anonymous. Data from this study may be shared
with the research community at large to advance science and health. No one will be able to identify
you from the information we share."