diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DatasetFieldType.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DatasetFieldType.java
index 824b486a42d..01785359e0e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DatasetFieldType.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/DatasetFieldType.java
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ public void setDisplayOnCreate(boolean displayOnCreate) {
     }
     
     public boolean isControlledVocabulary() {
-        return controlledVocabularyValues != null && !controlledVocabularyValues.isEmpty();
+        return allowControlledVocabulary;
     }
 
     /**