A recent survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) revealed that 30% of college students nationwide perceive violence as a suitable means to prevent controversial speakers at campus events. Specifically, 3% consider it always acceptable, 12% sometimes acceptable, and 16% rarely acceptable to use violence to stop a speaker from appearing on campus.
This survey follows the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk during a college event hosted by his organization, Turning Point USA, on September 10, 2025. Kirk was killed during a debate with students.
I’M A UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT. OUR PROFESSION SHOULD FINISH WHAT CHARLIE KIRK STARTED
Kirk, a conservative political activist and founder of Turning Point Action, addressed an audience at the University of Arizona in Tucson on October 17, 2024.
FIRE noted a decrease from last year’s 34% of students who found violence an acceptable protest action. However, this year’s numbers are up by 10 points compared to four years ago. At the same time, 70% of students currently assert that using violence is never acceptable.
The findings also show that 69% of students believe shouting down a speaker is acceptable, down three points from last year but seven points higher than four years ago.
FIRE Data Analyst Chapin Lenthall-Cleary remarked, “We’re pleased that the percentage of students who find it acceptable to answer speech with violence has decreased. But so long as students and outside speakers believe that voicing disagreement or sharing controversial views could get them hurt, speech will remain chilled on campuses.”
Lenthall-Cleary speculated on the decline in this year’s results. He indicated that the shift might relate to the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. “It’s possible that students who once believed violence was an acceptable way to stop a campus speech changed their minds after witnessing Charlie Kirk get brutally assassinated for speaking his mind on a campus,” he added.
Since the early 2020s, liberal students were twice as accepting of violence as conservative students. Recently, acceptance among conservative and moderate students has significantly increased, particularly among male students. Now, both liberal and conservative students are almost equally accepting of using violence. Despite a slight overall decline, over 30% of students still find it at least rarely acceptable.
Kirk’s murder at Utah Valley University impacted free speech on the campus, as recorded by FIRE’s findings.
The survey captured the opinions of 62,997 undergraduate students from 262 colleges and universities offering four-year degree programs. According to the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings report, the University of Chicago, Claremont McKenna College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan Technological University, and Vanderbilt University rank top for free speech.
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