Nearly Half of College Students Justify Violence to Stop Hate Speech, Survey Finds

A recent survey indicates that nearly half of undergraduate students believe physical violence can be justified to suppress speech they deem hateful, prompting a university president to declare that higher education has "lost its way."

The 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, conducted by the Buckley Institute, found that 45% of students surveyed hold this view. The survey also revealed that 54% of liberal students, 36% of moderates, and 30% of conservatives agreed with this stance.

Beyond justifying violence, the study found that 46% of students support shout-downs to prevent offensive speech, and 40% believe offensive speech should face criminal prosecution. Furthermore, 42% of students expressed a preference for living under a socialist system over a capitalist one, with 22% stating that the U.S. deserved the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, president of Cornerstone University, described the findings as indicative of a "moral formation issue" rather than a free speech problem, warning of a growing sense of "violent entitlement" among students. He stated that American colleges and universities have increasingly failed to instill moral values, instead promoting resentment, grievance politics, and entitlement.

"When there is no moral compass in higher ed, there's a vacuum, and what fills it? Ideologies, communism, socialism, grievance, culture. That's what's happened, and it's been happening for years," Moreno-Riaño told FOX News Digital. "Not only that, there's an anti-history bent in higher ed. When you think about today's young students not really knowing the evils of communism, the evils of socialism, and believing it's inspirational, that demonstrates just the moral bankruptcy, but also the academic bankruptcy of these institutions."

Moreno-Riaño suggested that these trends could lead employers to question the value of college degrees and consider alternative training pathways, such as direct hiring from high schools. He argued that graduates are being taught to resent rather than reason, leading to a workforce unprepared for complex problem-solving.

"I think what's happening is that employers are seeing this and many employers are saying, maybe we should train our own people or maybe we should go into the high schools directly and educate the future at the high school level and forget colleges altogether, because colleges are morally bankrupting our future," he said.

He also raised concerns about the combination of sharp intellects without a moral foundation, especially in the context of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. "For a democracy, we need individuals who can reason, who can deliberate, who can speak with those with whom they disagree and not seek violent action against them, but think deeply about what they're saying, reconsider positions, pursue what is good and with courage. If we don't do that, then we're in trouble."

The Buckley Institute survey, conducted by Inquire LLC, surveyed 803 full-time undergraduate students aged under 25 at four-year institutions between September 5 and September 14. The survey also noted that confidence in higher education has been declining, with some polls showing faith in these institutions collapsing.