The microfoundations of academics’ engagement with society

Addressing societal challenges such as climate change and social inequality requires the knowledge generated by academics as well as their direct engagement with society, which supports the translation of knowledge into solutions. Understanding what drives academics' engagement is thus crucial for efforts to foster their impact on societal development. To obtain in-depth insights into these drivers, this study develops a differentiated perspective that considers academics' value orientations and engagement motives and accounts for differences between engagement forms. From this perspective, we develop hypotheses in response to three research questions: First, which differences are there between academics as regards their value orientations? Second, how are these value orientations linked to academics' motives? Third, are these differences reflected in academics' actual engagement? We test the hypotheses empirically using the outcomes of a census survey of professors at German higher education institutions governed by the state or religious institutions, which yielded 4249 responses. Our empirical analysis (using Stata 17) identifies four types of value orientations, characterized by differences in the boundaries that academics draw between science and other societal sectors and in the importance they assign to societal engagement as part of their duties. The types are also systematically linked to academics' intrinsic and extrinsic motives to engage. Both value orientations and motives are furthermore reflected in academics' actual engagement. Our findings thus highlight that understanding and fostering academics' societal roles requires consideration of the diverse forms of academics’ engagement and the specific motivations underlying it. • Detailed survey data on engagement with society for 4249 professors in Germany. • Identification of four distinct types of professors in terms of value orientations. • Consideration of two engagement spheres reveals multiple dimensions of differences. • Value orientations and motivation reflected in actual engagement with society. • Four types characterized by different motives of engagement or non-engagement.