I think it's safe to conflate the two in this context. Someone going through the UC system is bound to experience very strong peer pressure to hide or change any conservative views may have held. As personal example, I had participated in research group meetings (at a much less left-leaning institution) that included quite vulgar Trump bashing sessions. It goes beyond universities and among the main reasons why Republican candidates usually underperform in polls [1].

> That democratic ideas are more popular for educated people or that rural areas lead to more republican attitudes shouldn't lead to the idea that we need policy to balance either. Rather a plurality of parties and votes would be something to strive for.

Fair enough if not for the fact that university education is the gateway (as the OP article mentions) to positions of economic and political power. If very few people with conservative views pass through the social filter, the conservative part of the population becomes disenfranchised, which is bad for democracy.

[1] "Second, suburban Republican college graduates are more likely to fear professional sanction for their views and are therefore self-censoring more, including in surveys." https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-did-republicans-out...