According to the Gallup polling firm, writes Christopher Devine, the identity that people choose most often is actually “independent” – not Democratic or Republican. In 2017, 42 percent of Americans chose this label – up from the low 30s just 14 years ago, in 2004. However, three-quarters of these “independents” admit, when asked, that they lean toward favoring the Democratic or Republican Party.

If we value contrary opinion on campus, say social psychologist Mark Brandt, it’s important to ask: Where are the conservatives?