A new national poll of undergraduates found that 45% believe violence to stop hate speech can be justified, sparking renewed concern from higher education leaders about campus culture and civic norms.
The findings come from the Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, which reported that more than half of self-identified liberal students, 54%, said violence can be warranted to halt what they consider hate speech. Among moderates, 36% agreed, as did 30% of conservatives.
Support for violence to stop hate speech and other tactics
The survey also found broad backing for other aggressive responses to speech. It said 46% of students support shout downs and 40% think offensive speech should be criminally prosecutable. On broader ideological views, 42% said they would prefer to live under a socialist system, compared with 28% who chose a capitalist system. The poll also reported that 22% said the United States deserved the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Cornerstone University President Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño called the results less a free speech dispute and more a matter of moral development, warning that students have adopted what he described as a “violent entitlement.” He said American higher education has “lost its way” by failing to form students morally and by encouraging grievance and resentment.
Moreno-Riaño argued that these trends contribute to skepticism among employers about the value of a college degree, saying some graduates are leaving campuses unprepared to reason, deliberate, or engage constructively across differences.
He added that the absence of a strong moral compass on campuses leaves a vacuum filled by ideology, pointing to student enthusiasm for socialism and a perceived “anti-history” bent. He suggested some employers may increasingly consider training workers directly out of high school rather than relying on colleges he described as drifting from moral and academic rigor.
Moreno-Riaño also warned that pairing advanced tools like artificial intelligence with a lack of ethical grounding could prove dangerous. He said democracy depends on citizens who can think deeply, reconsider positions, and resist violent responses to disagreement. He urged higher education to refocus on moral formation rather than entitlement and grievance.
How the violence to stop hate speech survey was conducted
The Buckley Institute survey was conducted by Inquire LLC and included 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 enrolled at four-year public or private colleges and universities. Respondents completed the online questionnaire between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14.
The Buckley Institute survey was conducted by Inquire LLC and included 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 enrolled at four-year public or private colleges and universities. Respondents completed the online questionnaire between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14.
Moreno-Riaño said democracy depends on citizens who can think deeply, reconsider positions, and resist violent responses to disagreement, echoing concerns similar to those raised when Troy Jackson’s debate clash drew national attention to political rhetoric and norms.
