One third of college students say using violence to shut down speech on campus is acceptable: poll
More than one third of college students condone the use of violence to shut down speakers on campus — and top schools do little to protect free speech, according to a new survey.Around 70% of higher education students agreed that shouting people down on campus is acceptable in some situations and 34% believe using violence to stop speakers is fine, according to the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings from FIRE Foundation.The survey polled more than 68,000 students across 257 colleges and also found that 28% of respondents said they often self-censor in classroom discussions to avoid backlash.
At Claremont McKenna College in California, 61% of students said shouting down a speaker was OK in some cases, and 28% said it was acceptable to use violence in some cases.“I don’t think the majority of people are going to do this themselves, but it’s more indicative of a culture where they’re saying it’s acceptable for someone to do it.It’s almost a permission culture for allowing it to happen,” Sean Stevens, chief research advisor for the ranking, told The Post.Stevens said increased political tensions at the state and national level may have trickled into college campuses, making students ready to throw down over controversial expressions — verbally or physically.Nearly a quarter of students said they often self-censor around other students, and 28% said they self-censor in the classroom — fearing blowback for their less popular opinions.Barnard College landed in dead last in the ranking, with Columbia University and Indiana University just above it, suffering in categories like “Comfort Expressing Ideas” and “Administrative Support.”The bottom-ranked schools suffered from high profile free speech scandals, often related to the Israel-Hamas war and transgender issues.“For example, administrators investigated and briefly suspended student journalists who covered pro-Palestinian protests.
These penalties dragged down the score,” wrote the FIRE F...