A new survey from the Buckley Institute finds that a growing share of American college students say it can be acceptable to use physical violence or disruptive tactics against speech they consider hateful, even as most students continue to say they value free speech and the First Amendment in principle.
According to the survey, 73% of students said the Constitution remains important, and 87% affirmed the importance of the First Amendment, both figures at or near all-time highs in the survey’s history. A record 66% of students agreed that hate speech is technically protected under the First Amendment.
Despite that, 46% of students said it is sometimes appropriate to shout down a speaker. That figure breaks down to 59% of liberal students, 33% of moderates, and 30% of conservatives. It marks a slight decline from the previous year but still ties for the second-highest level recorded in the survey.
A record 45% of students agreed that physical violence can be justified to stop what they view as hate speech. Among liberal students, 54% agreed, compared with 36% of moderates and 30% of conservatives.
The survey also found that 72% of students who said violence can be justified to stop hate speech also agreed that hate speech is protected under the First Amendment, a combination the survey’s authors highlighted as notable.
For the first time, the survey asked students whether the United States deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks. More than one in five respondents, 22%, agreed that it did. That figure rose to 41% among students who believe physical violence is justified to stop hate speech, and 28% among liberal students specifically.
The Buckley Institute, which has conducted the survey for several years, tracks student attitudes on free expression, campus discourse, and related political and constitutional questions.
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