Are Academics Readying to Leave America?

About a month ago, I learned that three colleagues were leaving Yale for the University of Toronto.

- GRACE KAO

About a month ago, I learned that three colleagues were leaving Yale for the University of Toronto. Philosophy professor Jason Stanley, history professors Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore are not only senior scholars at Yale, all three study fascism. Stanley appeared in many media outlets—The Guardian, PBS, The Atlantic, etc.—explicitly noting that America's slide into authoritarianism and fascism is a major impetus for his departure.

Are their departures a sign of an impending mass exodus of American academics to other countries or are they simply three of the many faculty members that move from institution to institution every year? Given Stanley's detailed exposition about the reasons for his leave, it's worth considering whether the shift in the political climate in the US has prompted American scientists to look elsewhere. Moreover, are non-academics considering leaving their American lives?

Nature, a major science journal, conducted a poll in late March 2025 and found that among 16,000 respondents, 75 percent were considering leaving the US because of the changes from this administration. While this is an alarming number, polls that rely on self-selected participants can lead to misleading results. Basic statistics teaches us that it's best to rely on a random sample of respondents or even better, a complete census. Still, we can learn something about the rationale for people's planned departure.