John M. Carey, Katherine Clayton, and Yusaku Horiuchi present findings from a multi-institutional study of student and faculty attitudes toward college and university campus diversity. Using randomized conjoint survey experiments, popular in market research, the authors asked student and faculty participants from five research universities in five states within the United States to evaluate hypothetical student applicants for admission and hypothetical faculty applicants for hire. These hypothetical cases were considered in pairs, with study participants asked to evaluate candidates holistically and indicate a preference for one candidate in each pairing.

The findings from the study, presented in Campus Diversity, suggest a strong preference across participants for markers of scholarly achievement. Student applicants demonstrating high academic achievement and faculty applicants demonstrating high scholarly achievement were viewed most favorably. The results also suggest what the authors refer to as a “hidden consensus,” such that student and faculty participants demonstrated “broad support for making diversity a priority in undergraduate admissions and in faculty recruitment” (p. 1).

Carey, Clayton, and Horiuchi also consider differences in attitudes toward diversity among groups of participants by gender, race/ethni