Princeton and Stanford surveys find most American scientists considering leaving the United States

Survey research conducted by Princeton University and Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute found that a majority of respondents in the US scientific and academic community were actively considering leaving the country or taking steps to do so, a level of expressed intent without historical precedent in American survey data. The surveys showed that early-career scientists, researchers on temporary visas, and faculty whose grants had been canceled were most likely to report concrete plans to seek positions abroad. The research also documented a sharp increase in self-censorship: a majority of respondents reported avoiding certain research topics, removing certain phrases from grant applications, or declining to engage publicly with contested policy issues out of concern about retaliatory consequences. The surveys provided the first large-scale empirical documentation of the chilling effect that the 2025 federal anti-DEI campaign had produced across American higher education.