US College Students Show Record Tolerance for Violence to Silence Speakers, Study Finds

A recent study indicates that over half of U.S. college students believe controversial speakers should be banned from their campuses, with a record number finding violence acceptable to achieve this goal. The findings, part of a comprehensive six-year study by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) involving nearly 300,000 undergraduates nationwide, paint a concerning picture of free speech tolerance.

The study's authors noted a "hostile" atmosphere on campuses, where students exhibit a diminished tolerance for differing views. "Students continue to show low tolerance for controversial speakers, and troublingly, more believe it’s acceptable to shout down a speaker, block access to events, or even resort to violence to silence campus speech than ever before," the report stated.

Students were presented with six controversial topics—three conservative and three liberal—and asked about their willingness to allow speakers to address these subjects on campus. Tolerance levels for conservative viewpoints have declined. For instance, only a quarter of students in the latest survey period felt speakers should be permitted to argue that transgender people have a mental disorder, down from approximately one-third in 2024. Similarly, the percentage of students who would allow speakers to state that "Black Lives Matter is a hate group" decreased from about one-third to one-quarter between 2024 and 2025. Around 40% of students believed speakers should be allowed to state that "Abortion should be completely illegal," a drop from about 45% in earlier surveys.

Tolerance for controversial liberal viewpoints also saw a decrease. Students showed less willingness to permit speakers to label the Catholic Church a "pedophilic institution," describe police as "just as racist" as the KKK, or assert that children "should be able to transition" without parental consent.

The study also tracked the acceptance of disruptive and violent tactics. Between 2021 and 2025, the percentage of students who believed violence was acceptable to prevent a campus speech increased significantly, rising from 20% in 2022 to 34% in the latest data. Furthermore, 54% of students supported blocking access to campus speeches, and 71% favored shouting down speakers they disagreed with.

Analysis of the data by the Missing Data Depot identified the top 10 most intolerant campuses, with many located in Massachusetts. Mount Holyoke College reported the highest intolerance, with 80.5% of undergraduates supporting the barring of three specific conservative topics. Smith College and Wellesley College followed, with 79.6% and 75.5% respectively, supporting such restrictions. Occidental College in California, the University of Rochester in New York, Wheaton College and Clark University in Massachusetts, and Pitzer College, Scripps College, and Oberlin College rounded out the list.

Conversely, Michigan Tech was identified as the most tolerant campus, with only 26.2% of its undergraduates supporting the banning of the three conservative topics. Kansas State and Montana State also showed high levels of tolerance. Several Ivy League institutions, including Princeton, Stanford, and Harvard, were among the most tolerant campuses, alongside the University of Wyoming, Iowa State, Washington and Lee, and Utah State.

Regarding specific controversial topics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the most divisive in 2025, with 53% of students expressing difficulty discussing it. Abortion was the second most controversial topic (46%), followed by the 2024 presidential election (42%), transgender rights (41%), and racial inequality (34%).

The study concluded that students frequently self-censor and avoid certain topics, doubting that administrators would adequately defend free expression when controversies arise.