Survey Reveals Students’ Views on Campus Violence and Free Speech

A recent survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) shows that 30% of college students across the nation consider violence an acceptable method to prevent controversial speakers at campus events. According to the survey, 3% of students believe violence is always acceptable, 12% say it is sometimes acceptable, and 16% think it is rarely acceptable to use violence against campus speakers. This survey follows the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a prominent figure with Turning Point USA, during a college event on September 10, 2025.

Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point Action, spoke at an event on the University of Arizona campus on October 17, 2024. The FIRE survey also indicates a decline in acceptance of violence from 34% of students last year to the current 30%. However, this is a rise from figures reported four years earlier.

Seventy percent of students now say violence is never acceptable to oppose a speaker, whereas 69% believe shouting down a speaker is permissible, reflecting a slight decrease from last year’s numbers.

FIRE Data Analyst Chapin Lenthall-Cleary noted to Fox News Digital that it is encouraging fewer students find violence acceptable to counter speech. Yet, concerns about personal safety continue to affect free expression on campuses. Lenthall-Cleary suggested the decline might be influenced by Kirk’s assassination, leading some students to reconsider their stance. Initially, liberal students were more accepting of violence, but acceptance has grown among conservative and moderate male students. Now, both groups show similar levels of acceptance.

FIRE’s survey reveals that Kirk’s assassination left a lasting impact on campus speech dynamics at Utah Valley University. The survey included responses from 62,997 undergraduate students at 262 four-year colleges and universities.

The 2027 College Free Speech Rankings report lists the University of Chicago, Claremont McKenna College, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan Technological University, and Vanderbilt University as the top five schools for free speech. The rankings reflect a detailed analysis of free speech and expression across various campuses.