You mentioned half of academics being fearful of having their politics known. One of the concepts in qualitative research is reflexivity, where, in proposing a research study, a researcher would situate themselves in terms of their experiences and any assumptions or beliefs. I think everyone would agree that research is biased, so it's important to reflect on one's positioning.
If that is the case, do you believe that even in that respected way of conducting research and positioning oneself as a researcher, people are still afraid of situating their political views?