The approval rating for President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 climbed 8.5 points to 25.2% this semester, according to data from The Herald’s fall poll, which surveyed 1,177 students. Last semester, her approval ratings hit their lowest point since at least 2018, with disapproval rates soaring to 58.7%. Now, her disapproval ratings sit at 33.8%.
This information and more findings from the fall poll are available on the Herald’s interactive data dashboard. The poll was conducted between Sept. 24 and 26, prior to the University’s announcement that Brown will not divest from 10 companies with ties to Israel.
Paxson’s approval ratings have fluctuated over time but were generally higher earlier in her tenure. A significant number of students have voiced non-committal opinions over time, with students being most opinionated in the fall of 2021. Her disapproval ratings increased in recent years, peaking last year before beginning to descend this semester.
Paxson’s leadership came under public scrutiny over the last year, along with multiple other leaders of higher education institutions.
Support for Paxson varies by class year, legacy status and other demographics.
The poll showed that a plurality of students neither approved nor disapproved of President Paxson. Students who did have an opinion about Paxson were more likely to disapprove of her, with 33.8% of respondents saying they “somewhat” or “strongly” disapproved, and 25.2% saying they “somewhat” or “strongly” approved.
Paxson has served as president since 2012, so upperclassmen have had more experience with her leadership, while first-years are just starting to get to know her.
Seniors were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with 29.9% of respondents saying they approved, followed by first-years at a rate of 25.9%. First-years were also most likely to neither approve nor disapprove of Paxson. In contrast, juniors were the most likely to disapprove, with 43.8% of the class of 2026 respondents disapproving.
Legacy students, students with family members who also attended Brown, were more likely to approve of Paxson. 38.1% of legacies with parents who went to Brown approved of Paxson, compared to 30.6% of legacies with siblings at Brown and 23.3% of non-legacy students.
Divestment has been a hot-button issue on campus, sparking scrutiny of Paxson’s administration.
Respondents who “strongly support divestment” were the most likely to disapprove of Paxson, with 64.7% saying they disapproved. Students who somewhat or strongly opposed divestment were more likely to approve of Paxson.
Respondents who identified as Middle Eastern or North African were more likely to feel strongly about Paxson, with the highest percentage of both “strongly disapprove” (24.1%) and of “strongly approve” (10.3%). Asian students were the least likely to have strong opinions about Paxson.
Respondents who identified as Jewish were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with more than half approving. Agnostic and atheist students were the most likely to disapprove.
Respondents who identified as neither male nor female were the most likely to disapprove of the president, followed by female students, with disapproval rates of 54% and 38.9%, respectively.
With the national presidential election just weeks away, political discussions have taken center stage in campus dialogue.
59.9% of “very liberal” respondents disapproved of Paxson, while only 11.5% approved. Moderate and “somewhat conservative” students were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with approval rates of 41.3% and 40.8% respectively.
When asked for a response from the president, Senior Vice President for Communications Cass Cliatt told The Herald, “We don’t generally offer commentary on any of The Herald’s polls or surveys, regardless of the topic.”
Kate Butts is a senior staff writer covering University Hall. Outside of The Herald, she loves running, board games and Trader Joe's snacks.
