By SHANNON O. WELLS
If the results of a recent Civic Wellbeing Index Student Survey (CWI) are any indication, Pitt students are confident, civically engaged and value open dialogue.
An executive summary of the survey, which was developed by the Institute of Citizens & Scholars, further reveals that while discussions occur more often “among those with shared beliefs,” Pitt students exhibit “strong listening behaviors and support inclusive discourse.”
“These results highlight a promising foundation for fostering civil dialogue, critical thinking and inclusive community engagement across all campuses,” the summary concluded.
Administered during the first month of the fall 2025 semester, the CWI surveyed 1,320 students from across all campuses with the goal of assessing how effectively higher education institutions foster civil discourse and dialogue among students.
Chancellor Joan Gabel discussed the survey results during her report to Senate Council at its Nov. 13 meeting.
“We're pretty excited about this tool because it allows us, obviously, to set a benchmark for our own campus climate and the perspectives of our students, but also then benchmark with others who are using the same tool,” she said of the survey.
“There isn't really anything like this that we're aware of that can allow for that kind of measure. (There was a) good response rate and some feedback.”
Gabel reported that 66% of respondents felt confident identifying credible information sources, and 69% felt highly confident using evidence to support arguments.
The executive summary conclusion said that Pitt students demonstrate “a solid foundation in locating and applying reliable information — critical skills for civil engagement and informed dialogue.”
Looking into further details from the CWI survey, in the category of “Civil Discourse Engagement,” the CWI found that among students actively engaged in discussions involving both shared and differing beliefs:
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A majority participated in difficult conversations at least once per month.
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More than two-thirds reported listening to others with both shared and differing beliefs.
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More than 50% voiced their own opinions in both contexts.
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Students were more likely to listen than to voice opinions or try to solve issues, especially when interacting with people holding different beliefs.
Noting she found the “difficult conversations” aspect “very interesting myself,” Gabel deferred to students in the Posvar meeting room to see if “that sounds about right to them.”
“It’s a baseline,” Gabel said of the CWI findings. “I think it represents some reason for optimism and some work to do, which is about what I think we would expect.”
In the category of “Race, Ethnicity and Discourse Patterns,” students across racial and ethnic groups consistently reported:
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More frequent listening and discussion with those sharing their beliefs than with those holding different ones.
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Minor variations by race/ethnicity, but overall similar engagement in civil discourse.
In the area of “Diverse Perspectives and the Community,” students expressed strong support for understanding and including differing viewpoints based on the following statements:
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“It is important to understand why people believe what they do, even if offensive.” Results: 8.06 out of 10 (0 = strongly disagree and 10 = strongly agree)
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“Communities are stronger when diverse perspectives can be heard.” Results: Mean = 7.46 out of 10
Among other “key takeaways” from the CWI survey, the executive summary concluded that Pitt students a) demonstrate high confidence in civic information literacy skills, b) frequently participate in civil discussions, particularly with like-minded peers; c) are part of a “strong listening culture,” with room to grow in conflict resolution across differing beliefs; and d) the University community offers “broad support for diversity of thought and expression.”
In her Senate Council report, Gabel said although the CWI is “not the only way to assess where we are,” it is “one way, and is part of a landscape effort around continuing to improve in this area. … We're community, so everyone's feedback on this, I think, is critically important as we think about the next steps and what we want to do.
“We'll run the survey again in the spring,” she added. “That's the way the tool was designed, to show incremental progress.”
Free speech and diversity
Gabel also discussed Pitt’s work around free speech and civic discourse at Senate Council, reiterating the University’s commitment to “freedom of speech and freedom of thought, (and) diversity viewpoints.”
Around 2023, when she started as chancellor, the University became a founding member of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars’ Campus Call for Free Expression.
“This is the main architecture we've been relying on to organize and coalesce around free speech. It's certainly not the only work happening,” Gabel explained. “All work around free speech is good work, but this is sort of the spine of free expression work that we've been working on.
The efforts are tied directly to two years of the Year of Discourse and Dialogue series out of the provost’s office.
“That project has … rolled into ongoing, permanent work,” she said, under the leadership of Carissa Slotterback, dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, with the “most important next phase” being a campus-wide immersion pilot.
“We're one of the first schools to do their campus-wide immersion that takes several years of incoming students to implement,” Gabel noted. “It's not quick to have a campus-wide effort at a large, complex campus like us, but (rather) incremental and steady.”
Shannon Wells is a University Times reporter. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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