Yumeto, Wikimedia Commons China’s influence on American higher education has long been a topic of concern, particularly over the last couple of years. Members of Congress have begun to take action to sever the relationship between China and U.S. universities, and President Trump seemed ready to lead the way until his recent push for more Chinese student visas. In the midst of this discourse, a recent survey dives into conservative-voter opinion on foreign policy and China’s influence on higher education. The results provide insight for lawmakers and higher-ed reformers.
Ninety-one percent of respondents are at least “slightly concerned” about Communist Party-sponsored Chinese Students and Scholars Associations. The Vandenberg Coalition (TVC), a non-partisan network “that promotes a strong and proud American foreign policy responsive to the interests of Americans,” publishes regular surveys of American opinion on foreign policy. One of the latest of these “Americans First” polls, released in August, includes a question relating to China and U.S. college campuses.
The survey was conducted August 18-21, 2025, and aims to assess Trump voters’ attitudes about foreign-policy issues. The survey finds that the GOP base wants the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) out of American higher education. Ninety-one percent of respondents are at least “slightly concerned” about CCP-sponsored Chinese Students and Scholars Associations, which have been accused of funding antisemitic student encampments and disruptions on college campuses. Twenty-five percent are “very concerned,” while 34 percent are “extremely concerned.”
“Universities will go along with these repressive tactics from China because they need money.” TVC advisory board member Michael Sobolik recently appeared on Fox News Digital discussing the very real disappointment that many share regarding the Trump administration’s new push for Chinese student visas. Recently, Pres. Trump reversed policies favored by the GOP base with his decision to issue 600,000 Chinese student visas. While the reversal was likely designed to help in ongoing trade talks, many voters in the MAGA base believe that China’s influence on college campuses needs to be weakened, not strengthened.
Advancing this perspective, Sobolik told Fox News, “We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing, because the Chinese Communist Party has exploited the presence of Chinese nationals in the United States to advance malign influence operations for years.” He further noted that, while the majority of Chinese students are not intentionally trying to negatively influence American higher education, they are often manipulated by the CCP. China “will silence Chinese students on American campuses and force them to either advance the CCP propaganda line or silence them. And that’s just unacceptable”
One of the reasons Congress feels it must intervene is due to a simple but strong driver for any business, including colleges: money. As Sobolik points out, “Universities will go along with these repressive tactics [from] China because, let’s face it, they need money from Chinese foreign students that are willing to pay full price.”
China’s influence on college campuses is clearly a concern to many. Conservative Americans in particular want the United States to prioritize its own citizens rather than allowing other countries to take advantage of our kindness to work against or weaken our nation. This includes China and the CCP. While the present situation may be strategically delicate, it needs to be taken seriously.
Grace Hall is a communications assistant at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. She works and lives in Georgia.
Author
Grace Hall
