Peer Networks and Ideological Consistency: How Student Communities Facilitate Belief Liberalization in Higher Education

Why do students in higher education tend to become more liberal? The authors outline a model of belief change wherein cognitive motivations for ideological consistency interact with social factors in peer networks to influence how students in higher education engage with social change, often resulting in a shift toward more liberal views. Hypotheses derived from this framework are tested using longitudinal data on two cohorts of divinity school students during a time of intense debate over the morality of same-sex relationships and ordaining gay clergy. Connecting individual-level belief change data with structural data from peer networks and in-depth interviews shows that student communities, beyond faculty and curricular influences, significantly shape belief liberalization. The authors discuss the implications and possible scope conditions for student liberalization and belief change.