Most college students say speech just as harmful as physical violence: Study

A new survey from the Knight Foundation published on Tuesday, July 30, found that 27% of college students are in favor of restricting free speech “they may find offensive or biased,” up from 22% in 2021. Students that identified as Democrats were mostly split on whether to allow all speech on campus, even speech they find offensive. However, 7 in 10 Republican students said that they believed it is important to be exposed to all speech, even that which is offensive or biased.

Overall, 70% of students surveyed of all political ideologies reported that speech can be just as harmful as physical violence. Some students said that they felt uncomfortable with references to race, gender or sexual orientations, even if it was not directed toward them.