‘2024 marks a crisis for free speech on college campuses’
A new survey released Tuesday revealed that while most students say they support free speech, the majority still favors restrictions.
The Knight Foundation-Ipsos survey found nine out of 10 college students consider free speech rights to be very important. At the same time, however, most students also say some speech should be prohibited.
“Few students are in favor of restrictive speech measures on campus such as speech codes. However, students do draw lines, with a majority saying that both hate and threatening speech should be restricted from campus,” the report read.
Notably, the report also found seven in 10 students believe “speech can be as damaging as physical violence.”
Additionally, fewer students in 2024 feel confident that their freedom of speech is secure—a decrease of 30 percent since 2016, according to the survey.
Self-censorship was another key issue, with two-thirds of students saying it limits valuable educational conversations. A similar proportion admits to self-censoring, particularly on sensitive topics like gender, race, or religion.
The findings also suggested attitudes toward free speech vary based on demographics such as race, gender, and political affiliation. For example, the survey found “white students tend to favor allowing all types of speech on campus, over … prohibiting certain speech.” In contrast, “a growing number” of black students support restricting “hate speech.”
The Knight Foundation-Ipsos survey pointed out the challenges facing free speech on college campuses, stating:
2024 marks a crisis for free speech on college campuses as international conflicts, like the war in Gaza, and domestic strife come to a head, bringing urgent political and personal issues to center stage.
With campuses cracking down on protests, political leaders casting a questioning eye on the decisions of university administrators, and emerging technology making disinformation easier and faster to produce, the position of higher education as a forum for open discussion has never been more crucial or imperiled.
American society continues to be at a crossroads over how to apply First Amendment rights in the 21st century, particularly on college campuses.
In line with these concerns, a recent analysis by a political science professor at California State University Long Beach found a rise in “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies at a university is associated with a decline in support for free speech, The College Fix previously reported.
MORE: As number of women rises in higher ed, free speech declines on campuses
IMAGE: KrakenImages/Shutterstock
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.