Academia’s Future in the United States: A Survey of Academics After the 2025 Executive Orders

In early 2025, the Trump administration issued several executive orders that impacted academia. Using convenience sampling recruitment, 837 academics completed a survey and provided open-text responses assessing the impact of the executive orders. Our results indicate that many are considering pursuing private funding (58%), leaving academia (43%), and self-censoring (44%), in response to these executive orders. Most respondents (87%) are very worried about the state of academia and have very low confidence in the government (92%). While reactions to the executive orders were almost uniformly negative, DEI scholars and minoritized academics reported being more affected. Academics play a critical role in maintaining the U.S. as a world leader in health and innovation. The new executive orders will likely negatively impact the future of academia and science in the U.S.