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FREE EXPRESSION

ON CAMPUS:

WHAT COLLEGE

STUDENTS THINK

ABOUT FIRST

AMENDMENT

ISSUES

A GALLUP/KNIGHT

FOUNDATIONSURVEY

WITH SUPPORT FROM:

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FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS:

WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK

ABOUT FIRSTAMENDMENT ISSUES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction

3 Detailed Findings

3 College Students’ Views of First Amendment Rights

7 Tensions Between Free Expression and Inclusion

15 Campus Climate and Its Eﬀect on Expression

21 Role of Social Media on Campus

26 Students’ Views of Actions to Limit Speech

34 Conclusion

35 Methodology

38 About Gallup

39 About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

40 About the American Council on Education

41 About the Charles Koch Foundation

42 About the Stanton Foundation

A GALLUP/KNIGHT FOUNDATION SURVEY

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

INTRODUCTION

First Amendment freedoms continue to be tested on U.S.

college campuses as higher education institutions strive

to achieve goals that can occasionally come into conﬂict.

These include encouraging the open discussion of ideas

and exposing students to people of diﬀerent backgrounds

and viewpoints while making all students feel included and

respected on campus.

In 2016, Gallup, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Newseum Institute

conducted a landmark, nationally representative study of college students. The survey

found that students believed First Amendment freedoms were secure, and they generally

preferred that campuses be open environments that encourage a wide range of

expression. However, students supported restrictions on certain types of speech, such as

hate speech, and many were sympathetic to students’ aempts to deny the press access

to campus protests, such as those that occurred over race-related issues in the 2015-16

school year.

The past year and a half saw tensions over free expression and inclusiveness

escalate amid the contentious 2016 presidential election, student objections to invited

commencement speakers, and a series of violent confrontations on college campuses

when controversial speakers or groups expressed their views on campus.

In 2017, Gallup and the Knight Foundation partnered with the American Council on

Education, the Charles Koch Foundation and the Stanton Foundation to update key trends

from the 2016 survey and ask about new developments in First Amendment issues. The

new survey probed whether college students ever consider violence or shouting down

speakers acceptable, whether they believe certain groups of students can freely express

their views on campus, and whether social media has displaced public areas of campus

as the venue for discussing political and social issues.

The survey of 3,014 U.S. college students, including an oversample of 216 students at

historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), was conducted Nov. 1-Dec. 10, 2017.

1 See the methodology section at the end of the report for more details on the student sample and its characteristics.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Some of the key ﬁndings of the study include:

Students value both free expression and

inclusion, though their commitment to free

expression may be stronger in the abstract

than in reality.

Majorities of students say protecting free speech rights

(56%) and promoting a diverse and inclusive society (52%)

are extremely important to democracy. Students continue

to prefer — though not as widely as they did in 2016 — that

campuses be open learning environments that allow for a

wide range of views to be heard rather than environments

that prohibit certain types of potentially harmful speech.

When asked whether protecting citizens’ free speech rights

or promoting an inclusive society that welcomes diverse

groups is more important, students tilt toward inclusion,

53% to 46%. Students are as likely to favor campus

speech codes (49%) as to oppose them (51%), and they

overwhelmingly favor free speech zones on campus. Nearly

two-thirds of students do not believe the U.S. Constitution

should protect hate speech, and they continue to support

campus policies that restrict both hate speech and wearing

stereotypical costumes.

Students have become more likely to think the

climate on their campus prevents people from

speaking their mind.

More students now (61%) than in 2016 (54%) agree that

the climate on their campus prevents some students from

expressing their views because others might take oﬀense.

Although a majority of college students, 69%, believe

political conservatives on campus are able to freely and

openly express their views, many more believe political

liberals (92%) and other campus groups are able to share

their opinions freely.

College students say campus expression has

shifted online.

More students say discussion of social and political issues

mostly takes place on social media (57%) rather than

in public areas of campus (43%). At the same time, an

increasing percentage of college students agree that social

media can stiﬂe free expression because people fear being

aacked or blocked by those who disagree with their views.

Also, eight in 10 students agree that the internet has been

responsible for a signiﬁcant increase in hate speech.

Extreme actions to prevent speakers from

speaking are largely, but not universally,

condemned.

Ninety percent of college students say it is never acceptable

to use violence to prevent someone from speaking, but

10% say is acceptable sometimes. Thirty-seven percent of

college students also believe shouting down speakers is

acceptable at least sometimes.

College students continue to view First

Amendment rights as secure rather than

threatened but are less likely than in 2016 to

say each right is secure.

Sixty-four percent of college students say freedom of speech

is secure in this country, down from 73% in the 2016 survey.

Sixty percent, down from 81%, say freedom of the press

is secure. College students continue to believe freedom of

assembly is the least secure First Amendment freedom, with

57% (down from 66%) saying that right is secure.

These ﬁndings make clear that college students see the

landscape for the First Amendment as continuing to evolve.

And as those changes occur, college students, like the

oﬃcials who oversee their campuses, sometimes struggle

to reconcile the tensions that can occur between respecting

individual freedoms and respecting individual diﬀerences.

FREEDOM TO PETITION

THE GOVERNMENT

% Very secure/Secure

2016 2017

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

FREEDOM OF RELIGION

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

FREEDOM FOR PEOPLE TO

ASSEMBLE PEACEFULLY

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

DETAILED FINDINGS

COLLEGE STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO SEE FIRST

AMENDMENT RIGHTS AS SECURE

As colleges across the country continue to grapple with the issue of free speech on campus,

majorities of U.S. college students still feel the ﬁve freedoms guaranteed by the First

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution are secure in this country. However, they are less likely

now than they were in 2016 to say each right is secure.

Compared with the 2016 survey, students now perceive the ﬁve freedoms as signiﬁcantly

less secure. This includes a 21-percentage-point decline in perceptions that freedom of the

press is secure and nine-point declines for free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to

petition the government. Freedom of the press was viewed as the most secure right in 2016,

but now it ranks only above freedom of assembly.

Students Believe All Five First Amendment Rights Are LessSecure

Do you think each of the following rights is very secure, secure, threatened orvery

threatened in the country today?

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

The largest shift since 2016 among Democratic students is

in their view of freedom of the press. It tumbled 35 points

to 48% in one year’s time, while Republican students’ views

remained fairly steady at 79%. Independents are also

signiﬁcantly less likely than they were in 2016 to believe

freedom of the press is secure.

The percentages of Democratic college students who

believe freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and

freedom to petition the government are secure have fallen

more than 10 points. Republican students’ opinions about

the ﬁve freedoms have generally not changed, although

they are slightly more likely now than in 2016 to say freedom

of speech andfreedom of religion are secure.

The percentage of students at HBCUs who believe free

speech rights are secure in this country has fallen below the

majority level. Currently, 49% of HBCU students, down from

60% in 2016, view freedom of speech as secure. Less than

a majority of HBCU students, 43%, believe the freedom to

assemble peacefully is secure, compared with 40% in 2016.

Gender gaps in views of First Amendment rights have

expanded, or emerged, since the last survey was

conducted. While male/female diﬀerences on freedom

of assembly and freedom of religion were apparent in

2016, male and female students did not diﬀer in their

perceived security of speech, the press and petitioning the

government at that time.

On a relative basis, college students are most likely to

believe the freedom to petition the government is secure,

with 67% holding this view. Slightly fewer say freedom of

speech (64%) and freedom of religion (64%) are secure. Six

in 10 believe freedom of the press is secure, and 57% say

the same about freedom of assembly.

Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to view

the ﬁve First Amendment rights as secure. They diﬀer

most on freedom of the press and freedom of assembly,

with less than half of Democrats, and more than seven

in 10 Republicans, believing those rights are secure.

Independents generally fall in between Republicans and

Democrats but hold similar views to Republicans about the

security of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

These changes in perceptions appear to be inﬂuenced by

the way Democratic and Republican college students view

the First Amendment guarantees. In 2016, when Barack

Obama was president, Democrats and Republicans mostly

held similar views about the security of First Amendment

freedoms. Now, with Donald Trump in the Oval Oﬃce,

Democratic students are much less likely than their

Republican counterparts to believe that all ﬁve freedoms

are secure. Independents also tend to see the freedoms

as less secure than they did in 2016 — and less secure than

Republicans currently do.

Changes in College Students’ Perceived Security

of First Amendment Rights, by Political Party

Do you think each of the following rights is very secure,

secure, threatened or very threatened in the country today?

FREEDOM TO PETITION

THE GOVERNMENT

Democrats RepublicansIndependents

% Very secure/Secure, 2016

% Very secure/Secure, 2017

FREEDOM TO PETITION THE

GOVERNMENT

Democrats RepublicansIndependents

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

FREEDOM OF RELIGION

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

FREEDOM FOR PEOPLE TO

ASSEMBLE PEACEFULLY

Democrats RepublicansIndependents

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

College Students’ Views of the Security of the First Amendment Rightsin the U.S.

Figures are the percentages who say each right is very secure or secure

SPEECH RELIGION PRESS ASSEMBLY

PETITION

GOVERNMENT

All 64 64 60 57 67

Men 70 75 63 68 77

Women 59 56 58 47 61

Whites 66 66 59 58 70

Blacks 54 53 58 40 54

Democrats 59 58 48 47 61

Independents 66 68 65 58 70

Republicans 71 71 79 74 80

HBCU students 49 60 57 43 51

Non-Hispanic black students believe all of the First Amendment freedoms are less secure than white students do, with the

exception of freedom of the press, for which they hold similar views. White (58%) and black (40%) students diﬀer most about

whether assembly rights are secure.

HBCU students perceive that two First Amendment rights are threatened rather than secure — freedom of assembly (43%

secure, 58% threatened) and freedom of speech (49% secure, 52% threatened). They are most positive about freedom of

religion, with 60% believing that right is secure.

Women tend to be less likely than men to perceive all First Amendment guarantees as secure, especially freedom of assembly

(47% to 68%) and freedom of religion (56% to 75%).

Campus events or policies that have implications for free speech, such as instituting speech codes or disinviting speakers,

appear to maer lile in how students view the security of free speech rights in this country. Students’ opinions about how

secure free speech is do not diﬀer based on whether their college has a speech code or has disinvited a speaker.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

STUDENT TRUST IN NEWS MEDIA INCREASES

Ongoing tensions between Trump and the news media could be a factor in the changes in Democratic students’ worsening

view of the security of freedom of the press. As has occurred more generally among U.S. adults,

Democratic students express

signiﬁcantly more trust in the news media now (64%) than in 2016 (44%), while Republicans’ trust remains low and unchanged.

Currently, 50% of all college students say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the news media. That is up from

42% in 2016 and reﬂects the trend of increased media trust seen among national adults over the same time period.

College Students’ Trust in the NewsMedia

Next, turning to the news media, meaning reporters and journalists who cover the news, how much do you trust the news media

to report the news accurately and fairly — a great deal, a fair amount, not much or not at all?

% A GREAT DEAL % A FAIR AMOUNT % NOT MUCH % NOT AT ALL

All 6 44 39 11

Men 8 45 34 13

Women 5 43 43 9

Whites 6 42 40 12

Blacks 5 45 40 10

Democrats 10 54 30 6

Independents 4 38 45 12

Republicans 2 32 47 18

HBCU students 6 39 41 13

2 hp://news.gallup.com/poll/219824/democrats-conﬁdence-mass-media-rises-sharply-2016.aspx

3 No opinion percentages are excluded from tables. As a result, percentages may not add to 100%.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

DETAILED FINDINGS

TENSIONS BETWEEN FREE EXPRESSION AND INCLUSION

MAJORITIES OF STUDENTS CONSIDER BOTH SPEECH

AND INCLUSION TO BE IMPORTANT TO DEMOCRACY

For a democracy to thrive, citizens must be able to express their views on important issues

to inform their elected leaders about what they want them to do. But all citizens, regardless

of their background, should have the same opportunity to express their views — something

that has not always been the reality in democratic societies, including the U.S. Students

place a high value on protecting free speech rights in a democracy: 56% say it is “extremely

important” to do so, and 33% say it is “very important.” Nearly as many say promoting an

inclusive society that welcomes diverse groups is extremely (52%) or very (31%) important

todemocracy.

College Students Say Both Free Speech Rights, Inclusive Society Are

Highly Important to Democracy

How important do you consider each of the following to be in our democracy?

% Extremely important

% Moderately important

PROTECTING CITIZENS'

FREE SPEECH RIGHTS

33 10 156

PROMOTING AN

INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

THAT IS WELCOMING

OF DIVERSE GROUPS

31 14 252

% Very important

% Not that important

While Democratic and Republican students are about equally likely to regard protecting

free speech rights as important, Democrats are much more likely than Republicans

are to say promoting an inclusive society is important. Only modest racial and gender

diﬀerences exist for the perceived importance of an inclusive society that welcomes

diverse groups.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Importance of Free Speech and Inclusion to Democracy

How important do you consider each of the following to be in our

democracy — extremely important, very important, moderately important

or not that important?

EXTREMELY

IMPORTANT

VERY

IMPORTANT

MODERATELY

IMPORTANT

NOT THAT

IMPORTANT

PROTECTING CITIZENS’ FREE SPEECH RIGHTS

All 56 33 10 1

Men 62 31 7 1

Women 51 35 13 1

Whites 55 34 10 1

Blacks 57 30 12 1

Democrats 58 30 11 0

Independents 54 34 11 1

Republicans 54 37 8 1

HBCU students 58 30 11 1

PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY THAT IS WELCOMING TO

DIVERSE GROUPS

All 52 31 14 2

Men 48 32 17 3

Women 56 31 12 1

Whites 51 31 15 3

Blacks 59 28 11 2

Democrats 63 29 8 1

Independents 49 33 16 2

Republicans 37 32 26 5

HBCU students 62 24 13 1

COLLEGE

STUDENTS

SEE BOTH

PROTECTING

CITIZENS’

FREE SPEECH

RIGHTS AND

PROMOTING

AN INCLUSIVE

SOCIETY

AS VERY

IMPORTANT

FOR A

DEMOCRACY.

WHEN ASKED

TO CHOOSE

WHICH IS MORE

IMPORTANT,

MORE SAY

INCLUSION

THAN FREE

SPEECH.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

When asked to choose which objective is more important

in a democracy, college students prioritize promoting an

inclusive society that is welcoming of diverse groups over

one that protects citizens’ free speech rights, 53% to 46%.

Women, blacks and Democrats are more likely than their

counterparts to choose inclusion over free speech.

Diversity and Inclusion vs. Free Speech

If you had to choose, which do you think is more important?

INDEPENDENTS

REPUBLICANS

HBCU STUDENTS

DEMOCRATS

BLACKS

WHITES

WOMEN

MEN

ALL

% Diverse and inclusive society

% Protecting free speech rights

COLLEGE STUDENTS STILL WIDELY

FAVOR AN OPEN LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT ON CAMPUS THAT

ALLOWS ALL TYPES OF SPEECH

Recent debates on college campuses have centered

on the trade-oﬀs between promoting an open learning

environment where students are exposed to all types

of speech and ensuring that all students feel safe and

respected. Achieving the laer objective could involve

curtailing speech. Asked to choose, students — by an

overwhelming 70% to 29% margin — favor an open

environment over a positive one that puts limits on oﬀensive

speech. Opinions shifted slightly away from favoring an open

environment since 2016 when the margin was 78% to 22%.

College Students’ Preferred Type of Campus

Environment, 2016 vs. 2017

% POSITIVE

ENVIRONMENT/

PROHIBIT

CERTAIN SPEECH

% OPEN LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT/

ALLOW OFFENSIVE

SPEECH

2016

2017

4 An alternate version of the question, asked for the ﬁrst time in 2017

in an aempt to shorten and simplify the original question, found an

even stronger tilt toward campuses allowing all types of speech, even

if oﬀensive, rather than protecting students by prohibiting certain

speech — 82% to 18%. Full results and breakdowns for all questions in

the survey are available for download or on request. The two versions

of the open environment versus positive environment questions were

asked of half samples. Each respondent was randomly selected to get

one or the other version. This allowed for a test of whether the new

(simpler) wording produced the same results as the 2016 wording,

while still maintaining the ability to compare results from 2016 to 2017

on the old version.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Most major subgroups have become at least slightly less

supportive of an open environment than they were in 2016.

The exception is Republicans, who still overwhelmingly

favor an open environment (86%). Democrats, blacks and

women are among the major subgroups most likely to favor

a positive environment that limits certain speech, but less

than four in 10 do so. These ﬁndings do not exclude the

possibility that further disaggregation among subgroups

might identify some in which the majority would prefer a

positive environment that prohibits certain speech.

College Students’ Preferred Campus

Environment

If you had to choose, do you think it is more important

for colleges to — [(responses rotated) create a positive

learning environment for all students by prohibiting

certainspeech or expression of viewpoints that are

oﬀensive or biased against certain groups of people (or

to) create an open learning environment, where students

are exposed to all types of speech and viewpoints, even if it

means allowing speech that is oﬀensive or biased against

certain groups of people]?

% POSITIVE

ENVIRONMENT/

PROHIBIT CERTAIN

SPEECH

% OPEN

ENVIRONMENT/

ALLOW OFFENSIVE

SPEECH

All 29 70

Men 23 75

Women 33 66

Whites 25 74

Blacks 38 62

Democrats 38 61

Independents 26 73

Republicans 12 86

HBCU students 31 69

STUDENTS SUPPORTIVE OF

PROHIBITING HATE SPEECH

Although college students say they prefer an open learning

environment and view free speech rights as important in

theory, their desire for fostering inclusion is apparent in

their support for restrictions on some forms of speech. In

particular, students favor limits on intentionally hurtful or

oﬀensive speech.

Nearly two-thirds of students think hate speech should

not be protected by the First Amendment. Court rulings

have generally held that hate speech is a protected form

of expression. Whereas 47% of Republican students think

hate speech should be protected, only 25% of Democratic

students agree.

Most Students Do Not Think Hate Speech

Should Be Protected by First Amendment

Do you think hate speech is a form of expression that should

or should not be protected by the First Amendment?

% YES, SHOULD

PROTECT

% NO, SHOULD

NOT PROTECT

All 35 64

Men 43 56

Women 29 71

Whites 36 64

Blacks 29 71

Democrats 25 75

Independents 40 59

Republicans 47 52

HBCU students 42 58

When asked about campus policies that restrict certain

types of expression, nearly three-quarters of students

(73%) think colleges should be able to restrict racial slurs,

and 60% say the same about stereotypical costumes.

However, 30% think the expression of oﬀensive political

views should be restricted on campus. These percentages

are similar to those from the 2016 survey.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Student Support for Campus Restrictions on Forms of Expression

Do you think colleges should or should not be able to establish policies that restrict each of the following types of speech or

expression on campus?

EXPRESSING POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS THAT ARE

UPSETTING OR OFFENSIVE TO CERTAIN GROUPS

WEARING COSTUMES THAT STEREOTYPE

CERTAIN RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUPS

USING SLURS/OTHER LANGUAGE THAT IS

INTENTIONALLY OFFENSIVE TO CERTAIN GROUPS

% Should be able to restrict, 2016

% Should be able to restrict, 2017

Black students are more likely than white students to support campus policies that limit these types of expression. Nearly half

ofblacks, 46%, favor limits on political speech, while 28% of whites do. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to favor

theserestrictions.

Student Support for Campus Restrictions on Forms of Expression

Figures are the percentages who say colleges should be able to restrict that form of expression

SLURS STEREOTYPICAL COSTUMES POLITICAL SPEECH

All 73 60 30

Men 68 52 24

Women 78 66 34

Whites 74 61 28

Blacks 82 72 46

Democrats 80 67 34

Independents 71 58 28

Republicans 61 47 23

HBCU students 73 64 37

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY

FIRSTAMENDMENT APPLIES TO

ANTHEM PROTESTS

During the fall of 2017, when the survey was conducted,

professional athletes’ protests during the playing of the

national anthem became major national news that had

clear implications for free expression rights. College

students (81%) overall overwhelmingly agree that

professional athletes have a First Amendment right to

protest the national anthem.

The protests were designed to call aention to racial

injustice in the U.S., and 94% of black college students say

professional athletes have the right to protest the anthem.

Fewer white students, 78%, say the same. President Trump

was a prominent critic of the protests, and a substantial

minorityof college students who identify politically as

Republican are sympathetic to his criticisms. A slim

majority of Republican students, 53%, say professional

athletes have the right to protest the national anthem, but

47% say they do not.

College Students Say Professional Athletes

Have Right to Protest National Anthem

Do you think professional athletes have the First

Amendment right to protest during the playing of the

national anthem, or not?

% YES % NO

All 81 19

Men 82 17

Women 79 20

Whites 78 21

Blacks 94 6

Democrats 91 8

Independents 80 19

Republicans 53 47

HBCU students 78 20

STUDENTS DIVIDED ON SPEECH

CODES, FAVOR FREE SPEECH ZONES

AND SAFE SPACES

Colleges have instituted a variety of policies that could place

limits on free speech. Speech codes, free speech zones and

safe spaces are among some of the more common campus

policies that have implications for speech. College students

show widespread support for free speech zones and safe

spaces but are divided on speech codes.

Student Support for Campus Policies

Next, please say whether you favor or oppose each of the

following actions taken by colleges.

% Favor

% Oppose

INSTITUTING SPEECH

CODES, OR CODES OF

CONDUCT THAT

RESTRICT OFFENSIVE

OR BIASED SPEECH ON

CAMPUS THAT WOULD

BE PERMITTED IN

SOCIETY MORE

GENERALLY

ESTABLISHING A FREE

SPEECH ZONE, A

DESIGNATED AREA OF

CAMPUS IN WHICH

PROTESTING OR

DISTRIBUTING

LITERATURE IS

PERMITTED, USUALLY

WITH PREAPPROVAL

PROVIDING SAFE

SPACES, OR AREAS OF

CAMPUS STUDENTS

CAN GO FOR SUPPORT IF

THEY FEEL UPSET OR

THREATENED BY THINGS

THEY SEE OR HEAR

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Eighty-three percent of college students support free speech zones, areas of campus set aside for students to protest or distribute

literature. While free speech zones guarantee space on campus for students to express their views, they have been criticized for

puing too many restrictions on speech — with institutions determining where, when and how views can be expressed. Subgroup

diﬀerences on support for free speech zones are fairly muted, though women favor them more than men do.

Eighty-seven percent of college students favor safe spaces, designated areas of campus where students can go to be assured

they will not be confronted by oﬀensive or hateful speech. Some critics of safe spaces oppose them because they believe safe

spaces allow students to avoid hearing viewpoints with which they disagree — a form of protectionthat will not exist when they

leave campus. Nevertheless, students may not see this subtle, potential downside of safe spaces.

Support for safe spaces is nearly universal among women and Democrats, both at 95%. Ninety-one percent of black students

and 90% of HBCU students favor safe spaces. Republicans (70%) and men (77%) still widely support safe spaces but are less

likely to do so than other subgroups.

The most controversial policy type among those tested in the survey is speech codes — students divide about evenly between

support (49%) and opposition (51%). According to one estimate, a majority of colleges have some sort of speech code. These

policies mostly intend to prohibit oﬀensive speech on campuses even though that kind of speech would be permied in society

more generally.

Roughly six in 10 blacks, women, HBCU students and Democrats support speech codes. In addition, 56% of those who are highly

active on social media to discuss current events — that is, they use it to get news, post links to stories and discuss issues

— say

they favor speech codes.

Majorities of men, whites, Republicans and independents oppose speech codes. One left-leaning group that does not support

speech codes is Jewish students, with 61% opposed.

Student Support for Campus Policies

Figures are the percentages in favor of the policy

SAFE SPACES FREE SPEECH ZONES SPEECH CODES

All 87 83 49

Men 77 75 37

Women 95 90 58

Whites 85 81 44

Blacks 91 85 61

Democrats 95 87 57

Independents 86 81 44

Republicans 70 79 39

HBCU students 90 76 58

5 A scale for social media activity was created by summing responses for three items (use social media for news, post links to stories on social media, discuss

current events on social media) rated on four-point scales (1: often, 2: sometimes, 3: hardly ever, 4: never), creating a scale ranging from 3 to 12. Those scoring

from 3 to 6 on the scale were considered heavy users, scores of 7 and 8 were moderate users, and scores of 9 to 12 were nonusers.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Students’ views of speech codes may be inﬂuenced by their

college’s oﬃcial policy on the maer. Fifty-six percent of

students who say their college has a speech code favor

them, but 65% of those who say their college does not have a

speech code oppose them.

Support for Campus Speech Codes, by College

Policy on Speech Codes

UNSURE IF COLLEGE

HAS SPEECH CODE

COLLEGE DOES NOT

HAVE SPEECH CODE

COLLEGE HAS

SPEECH CODE

% Favor % Oppose

Students’ own experiences appear to bear lile relationship

to their opinions about speech codes. Fifty percent of

those who report they have felt uncomfortable on campus

because of something they heard are in favor of speech

codes, as are 48% of those who say they have never felt

uncomfortable.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

DETAILED FINDINGS

CAMPUS CLIMATE AND ITS EFFECT ON EXPRESSION

STUDENTS INCREASINGLY SEE CHILLING EFFECT

BECAUSE OF CAMPUS CLIMATE

Campus norms as well as oﬃcial campus policies that discourage certain types of expression

may make students reluctant to say things they believe. An increasing majority of college

students perceive that the climate on their campus produces such a “chilling eﬀect” on speech.

Sixty-one percent of students, up from 54% in the prior survey, strongly agree or agree that

the climate on their campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because

others might ﬁnd them oﬀensive. The increase is evident among most key subgroups, with

Republican students and Hispanics as the exceptions.

College Students’ Views of Whether the Climate on Their College

Campus Deters Speech, 2016 vs. 2017

Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with the

following statement? “The climate on my campus prevents some people from saying things

they believe because others might ﬁnd them oﬀensive.”

Figures are the percentages who strongly agree or agree with the statement

2016 2017 CHANGE

All college students 54 61 +7

Men 54 62 +8

Women 53 60 +7

White 51 59 +8

Black 50 64 +14

Hispanic 67 60 -7

Asian 61 68 +7

Democrat 54 63 +9

Independent 49 62 +13

Republican 62 53 -9

HBCU students 44 53 +9

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

College Students’ Views of Whether the Climate on College

Campuses Prevents Some People From Saying Things

They Believe Because Others Might Find Them Oﬀensive,

2016 vs. 2017

Cont’d.

Figures are the percentages who strongly agree or agree with the statement

2016 2017 CHANGE

Public college 53 61 +8

Private college 56 61 +5

Enrollment less than

10,000 students

48 56 +8

Enrollment

10,000+ students

56 65 +9

Democrats’ increased belief and Republicans’ reduced belief that the

campus climate deters speech has led to a situation in which Democrats

(63%) are now more likely than Republicans (53%) to hold this view. In

2016, Republicans were more likely to agree than Democrats were. The

reasons for these shifts are not clear. One possibility is that Republican

andDemocratic students perceive the climate for speech is inﬂuenced

by the party in the White House. As a result, supporters of the party out of

power (Republicans in 2016 and Democrats in 2017) may feel the climate

isless hospitable for their party.

Along with Republicans, HBCU students (53%) are among the subgroups

least likely to see their campus climate as deterring speech. However,

moreHBCU students perceive a chilling eﬀect on campus than did so in

2016, when 44% did.

There is no diﬀerence between private and public college students, but

students at larger campuses are somewhat more likely than those at

smaller campuses to agree the climate at their college prevents people

from speaking their mind.

POLITICAL CONSERVATIVES ARE SEEN AS

LESS ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS

Asked about the ability of various groups to exercise their free speech

rights on campus, college students believe most groups are able to do

so. However, college students are much less likely to believe that political

conservatives can freely express themselves, compared with other

groups.Sixty-nine percent of students think political conservatives are

ableto freely and openly express their views on campus — far lower

thanthe 92% who say the same about political liberals.

NINETYTWO

PERCENT

OF COLLEGE

STUDENTS SAY

POLITICAL

LIBERALS

CAN FREELY

AND OPENLY

EXPRESS THEIR

VIEWS ON THEIR

CAMPUS; 69%

SAY POLITICAL

CONSERVATIVES

CAN.

College students may see political conservatives

as less able to express themselves because they

believe they are a distinct minority on campus.

Just15% say their campus is “highly diverse” in

partyidentiﬁcation, compared with 25% who say

thesame about class and income, 32% for religion,

and 38% for race and ethnicity.

Perceptions that campuses are not highly

diversepolitically are consistent with the

prevailingpartisanship among college students

— 66% identify as Democrats or are Democratic-

leaning independents, while 27% are Republicans

or Republican-leaning independents, according

tothesurvey.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Students rank political conservatives behind each of the

other nine groups evaluated in the survey in terms of

whether they can freely express themselves, including

groups who have historically been subject to discrimination,

such as blacks (88%); lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender students (87%); and Muslims (80%). More than

nine in 10 college students say political liberals, women,

men and whites are able to freely and openly express their

views. Eighty-six percent believe students born outside the

U.S. can exercise freedom of speech rights unencumbered.

Students’ Perceptions of Whether Groups on

Campus Can Freely Express Their Views

On your college’s campus, do you think members of each

of the following groups are, or are not, able to freely and

openly express their views?

% Yes, are able to

WOMEN

WHITES

MEN

POLITICAL LIBERALS

HISPANICS

OR LATINOS

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL

OR TRANSGENDER

INDIVIDUALS

STUDENTS BORN

OUTSIDE THE U.S.

MUSLIMS

POLITICAL

CONSERVATIVES

BLACKS

There are few meaningful diﬀerences by subgroup in

perceptions of whether certain groups are able to easily

exercise their free speech rights on campus, including

among members of the group being rated. For example,

63% of self-identiﬁed conservatives versus 66% of self-

identiﬁed liberals say political conservatives can freely

express their views on campus. Meanwhile, 94% of liberals

and 90% of conservatives say political liberals are able

to speak freely on campus. In addition, 87% of Hispanics

versus 89% of non-Hispanics say Hispanics can express

their views.

Perceptions of Whether Political Groups on

Campus Can Freely Express Their Views

Figures are the percentages who believe the group can

freely express their views on campus

POLITICAL

LIBERALS

POLITICAL

CONSERVATIVES

All 92 69

Men 93 68

Women 91 69

Whites 94 68

Blacks 89 74

Democrats 92 67

Independents 92 71

Republicans 93 68

HBCU students 83 70

6 It is not possible to evaluate how LGBT, international or Muslim

students perceive the ability of their subgroup to exercise free

expression on campus. LGBT identiﬁcation and country of birth were

not measured in the survey. Religious identiﬁcation was measured, but

Muslims represent too small a proportion of the student population

(2%) to report reliable estimates for that subgroup.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Perceptions of Whether Racial and Ethnic

Groups on Campus Can Freely Express

TheirViews

Figures are the percentages who believe the group can

freely express their views on campus

WHITES BLACKS

HISPANICS

OR LATINOS

All 93 88 88

Men 91 92 93

Women 94 85 85

Whites 93 90 89

Blacks 92 85 86

Hispanics 92 84 87

Democrats 95 84 85

Independents 93 90 91

Republicans 87 94 92

HBCU students 75 88 84

Perceptions of Whether Gender Groups on

Campus Can Freely Express Their Views

Figures are the percentages who believe the group can

freely express their views on campus

MEN WOMEN

All 93 94

Men 91 95

Women 94 93

Whites 93 94

Blacks 89 90

Democrats 94 92

Independents 92 95

Republicans 91 97

HBCU students 78 84

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Perceptions of Whether Groups on Campus

Can Freely Express Their Views

Figures are the percentages who believe the group can

freely express their views on campus

LESBIAN, GAY,

BISEXUAL OR

TR ANS GENDER

INDIVIDUALS

STUDENTS

BORN

OUTSIDE

THE U.S. MUSLIMS

All 87 86 80

Men 90 89 85

Women 84 83 75

Whites 89 88 81

Blacks 82 79 76

Democrats 84 81 75

Independents 88 87 82

Republicans 90 94 85

HBCU

students

80 82 85

ONE IN FOUR STUDENTS HAVE FELT

UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE OF

SOMETHING SAID ON CAMPUS

Reporting on their own experiences, most college students

say they have been unaﬀected by things they have heard

on campus. One-quarter of students overall report feeling

uncomfortable because of something that was said on

campus about their race, ethnicity or religion, whether or

not it was directed at them.

Black students (43%) are twice as likely as white students

(21%) to say they have ever felt uncomfortable. The

diﬀerence is mostly accounted for by the experiences of

black students at non-HBCU colleges, among whom 45%

report feeling uncomfortable at some point. That compares

with 24% of HBCU students.

Hispanics (27%) and Asians (26%) are no more likely

than students overall to say they have felt uncomfortable.

However, women (28%) are slightly more likely than men

(20%) to have felt uncomfortable because of something

someone said.

Among religious groups, Jewish students (38%) are

signiﬁcantly more likely than Protestants (29%), Catholics

(19%) and those with no religion (22%) to have felt

uncomfortable on campus because of some kind of ethnic,

racial or religious comment.

The 17% of Republicans who say they have felt

uncomfortable is one of the smallest percentages reported

for any subgroup and is signiﬁcantly smaller than the 26%

of both independents and Democrats who report such

an experience. The political diﬀerences on this question

may be a function of typical paerns in Republican versus

Democratic identiﬁcation by race. For example, whites and

men are more likely to identify as Republicans than women

and blacks are.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Black, Jewish Students Among Those Most

Likely to Have Been Aﬀected by Speech

Have you, personally, ever felt uncomfortable in a class,

living area, public space or other part of campus because

of something someone said in reference to your race,

ethnicity or religion, whether or not it was directed at you?

HBCU STUDENTS

DEMOCRATS

INDEPENDENTS

REPUBLICANS

JEWS

CATHOLICS

PROTESTANTS

BLACK STUDENTS

AT NON-HBCUS

HISPANICS

ASIANS

BLACKS

WHITES

MEN

WOMEN

ALL

Thirty-eight percent of students who say their college is not

racially and ethnically diverse report feeling uncomfortable

on campus, compared with 22% who say their campus is

highly or somewhat diverse.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

DETAILED FINDINGS

ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CAMPUS

STUDENTS SAY ISSUE DISCUSSION TAKES PLACE

ONLINE RATHER THAN ON CAMPUS

Social media is commonly used by college students, so much so that students say that

discussion of political and social issues at their college mostly takes place on social media

(57%) rather than in public areas of campus (43%). It is not clear if students think such

discussions should take place online rather than in public areas of campus. However, if they

dosee social media as the appropriate forum for expressing one’s views, they may be less

likelyto oppose policies that restrict free expression on campus.

College Student Views of Where Discussion ofPolitical or Social

IdeasTakes Place

Where do you think most expression and discussion of political or social ideas among

students at your college takes places these days — [(responses rotated:) face-to-face on

campus in classrooms and public areas (or) online through social media]?

% FACETOFACE

ON CAMPUS

% ONLINE THROUGH

SOCIAL MEDIA

All 43 57

Men 44 55

Women 42 58

Whites 44 56

Blacks 39 59

Democrats 41 58

Independents 44 55

Republicans 43 57

HBCU students 44 56

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Students’ reports of where campus discussions of controversial

issues take place are similar across demographic subgroups.

However, those who do not use social media to discuss issues

are more inclined than other subgroups to think discussion

mostly occurs face-to-face on campus.

Views of Where Discussion of Political

or Social Ideas Takes Place at College, by

SocialMedia Usage for Discussing Issues

NONUSERS

MODERATE

HEAVY

% Online through social media

% Face-to-face on campus

Students in their fourth or higher year of college (63%) are

more likely than ﬁrst-year students (51%) to say discussion

about political and social ideas among students takes place

online through social media. Large majorities of Jewish

(69%) and Asian (64%) students say the same.

MORE STUDENTS

SAY DISCUSSION

OF POLITICAL AND

SOCIAL IDEAS AT

THEIR COLLEGE

TAKES PLACE

ONLINE THROUGH

SOCIAL MEDIA

THAN FACETO

FACE IN PUBLIC

AREAS OF CAMPUS.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

STUDENTS INCREASINGLY SEE

SOCIAL MEDIA HAVING NEGATIVE

REPERCUSSIONS FOR EXPRESSION

While social media is an integral part of the lives of college

students, most recognize it has negative as well as positive

aributes. More than six in 10 students disagree that the

dialogue that occurs on social media is usually civil, and

more than eight in 10 agree that it is too easy for people to

say things anonymously on social media.

Increasingly, they think social media can stiﬂe expression

because of a fear of being aacked (59%) or because

people block those with whom they disagree (60%). Both

percentages are up about 10 points from last year.

College Students’ Views of Social Media,

2016vs. 2017

Figures are the percentages who strongly agree or agree

withthe statement

2016 2017 CHANGE

The dialogue that occurs on

social media is usually civil

41 37 -4

It is too easy for people to

say things anonymously on

socialmedia

74 83 +9

Social media stiﬂes free

expression because too

many people block views

they disagree with

48 60 +12

Social media stiﬂes free

expression because people

are afraid of being aacked

or shamed by those who

disagree with them

49 59 +10

Subgroup diﬀerences in views of social media are minor. There

are also no meaningful diﬀerences in these aitudes according

to social media usage.

MORE COLLEGE

STUDENTS NOW

THAN IN 2016

AGREE THAT

SOCIAL MEDIA

STIFLES FREE

EXPRESSION

BECAUSE PEOPLE

CAN BE ATTACKED

OR BLOCKED

BY THOSE WHO

DISAGREE WITH

THEM.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

College Students’ Opinions of Eﬀects of Social

Media on Expression

Thinking generally about how people interact on social media,

do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree

or strongly disagree with each of the following statements.

% STRONGLY

AGREE/AGREE

% STRONGLY

DISAGREE/

DISAGREE

THE DIALOGUE THAT OCCURS ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS

USUALLY CIVIL

All 37 63

Men 36 64

Women 38 62

Whites 36 64

Blacks 39 61

Democrats 35 65

Independents 37 63

Republicans 43 57

HBCU students 45 55

IT IS TOO EASY FOR PEOPLE TO SAY THINGS

ANONYMOUSLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

All 83 17

Men 79 20

Women 86 14

Whites 81 19

Blacks 86 14

Democrats 85 15

Independents 82 18

Republicans 82 18

HBCU students 77 23

SOCIAL MEDIA STIFLES FREE EXPRESSION

BECAUSETOO MANY PEOPLE BLOCK VIEWS THEY

DISAGREE WITH

All 59 40

Men 61 39

Women 58 42

Whites 57 43

Blacks 59 41

Democrats 57 43

Independents 61 38

Republicans 60 40

HBCU students 61 39

SOCIAL MEDIA STIFLES FREE EXPRESSION BECAUSE

PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF BEING ATTACKED OR

SHAMED BY THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH THEM

All 59 41

Men 59 40

Women 58 42

Whites 55 45

Blacks 62 38

Democrats 54 46

Independents 61 38

Republicans 62 38

HBCU students 64 36

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

STUDENTS THINK SOCIAL MEDIA

HAS FUELED AN INCREASE IN

HATESPEECH

Students exhibit a broad consensus across a wide range of

demographic groups that social media is responsible for a

signiﬁcant increase in hate speech. Overall, more than eight

in 10 students agree, either strongly (43%) or somewhat

(39%), that this is the case.

Students See Internet as Responsible for

Increase in Hate Speech

Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat

disagree or strongly disagree with the following statement?

“The internet is responsible for a signiﬁcant increase in

hate speech.”

% Strongly agree

% Somewhat disagree

% Somewhat agree

% Strongly disagree

Asked how social media companies should deal with such

hate speech, 68% of students strongly or somewhat agree

that social media companies should be responsible for

limiting it on their platforms. While 79% of Democrats

hold this belief, 52% of Republicans do. Likewise, women

are more likely than men to think social media companies

should aempt to limit hate speech on their sites.

Students Believe Social Media Companies Should

Be Responsible for Limiting Hate Speech

Thinking generally about how people interact on social media,

do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree

or strongly disagree with each of the following statements.

% STRONGLY

AGREE/AGREE

% STRONGLY

DISAGREE/

DISAGREE

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, LIKE FACEBOOK

AND

TWITTER

, SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LIMITING

HATE SPEECH ON THEIR PLATFORMS

All 68 32

Men 61 39

Women 74 26

Whites 67 33

Blacks 74 26

Democrats 79 21

Independents 64 36

Republicans 52 48

HBCU students 71 29

Three-quarters of college students who heavily use

social media to discuss political maers agree that social

media platforms should try to limit hate speech on their

platforms.That compares with 63% of moderate users

and64% of nonusers.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

DETAILED FINDINGS

STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF ACTIONS TO LIMIT SPEECH

STUDENTS SUPPORT CANCELING SCHEDULED

SPEECHES IF THREAT OF VIOLENCE EXISTS

Colleges faced a number of controversies in the past year in which students pressured

oﬃcials to disinvite certain speakers who were scheduled to deliver speeches or

commencement addresses on campus. College students generally do not approve of

disinviting speakers merely because of student opposition — 72% are opposed to this

occurring, and 28% are in favor. However, 69% of students are in favor of canceling planned

speeches because of concerns about the possibility of violent protests. Democratic students

are much more inclined than Republican students to favor the cancellation of speeches for

both reasons. Republicans are divided as to whether speeches should be canceled because

of concerns about violence.

Student Opinions on Possible Actions Colleges Can Take Regarding

Controversial Speakers

Next, please say whether you favor or oppose each of the following actions taken by colleges.

CANCELING PLANNED SPEECHES

BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE

POSSIBILITY OF VIOLENT PROTESTS

% Favor

% Oppose

DISINVITING SPEAKERS BECAUSE

SOME STUDENTS ARE OPPOSED TO

THE INVITATION

Democratic students are much more inclined than Republican students to favor the

cancellation of speeches for both reasons. Republicans are divided as to whether speeches

should be canceled because of concerns about violence.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Student Support for Disinviting Controversial

Speakers

Figures are the percentages who favor colleges disinviting

speakers for each reason

BECAUSE OF

STUDENT

OPPOSITION

BECAUSE OF

CONCERNS ABOUT

VIOLENCE

All 28 69

Men 21 58

Women 33 78

Whites 24 68

Blacks 38 75

Democrats 39 78

Independents 24 67

Republicans 11 52

HBCU students 38 76

Students’ support for, or opposition to, eﬀorts to cancel

speeches are also related to their social media usage for

news. Students more engaged with current events on

social media are more likely to favor disinviting speakers or

canceling speeches, regardless of the rationale, than are

those less engaged on social media. Speciﬁcally, 38% of

heavy social media users, 24% of moderate users and 20%

of nonusers favor disinviting speakers because of student

opposition. Likewise, 75% of heavy users of social media,

68% of moderate users and 64% of nonusers favor canceling

planned speeches because of the possibility of violence.

SOME STUDENTS SAY SHOUTING

DOWN SPEAKERS AND USING

VIOLENCE ARE SOMETIMES

ACCEPTABLE

Colleges that allow controversial ﬁgures to give talks on

their campus sometimes have to deal with aempts by

students or others to prevent those speakers’ views from

being heard. College students generally do not condone

some of the most aggressive actions that can prevent

speakers from talking once they arrive on campus. These

include shouting down speakers while they are aempting

to talk or resorting to violence, as occurred in 2017 on the

University of California, Berkeley; University of Virginia; and

Middlebury College campuses.

Nine in 10 students say violence is “never acceptable,”

although that does leave one in 10 students who say

it is “sometimes acceptable” or “always acceptable.”

The percentages who condone violence are similar by

subgroup, oﬀering lile clue as to which kinds of students

think violence can be an appropriate way to halt speech.

Sixty-two percent of students say shouting down speakers

is never acceptable, although slightly more than one in

three (34%) say it is sometimes acceptable. Three percent

say it is always acceptable. Political subgroups diﬀer on the

appropriateness of such a response: Half of Democrats

say shouting down speakers is always or sometimes

acceptable, compared with 31% of independents and 21%

ofRepublicans.

The vast majority of college students believe protesting

against speakers is appropriate, including 36% who say

it is always acceptable and 50% who say it is sometimes

acceptable. Democrats (47%) are much more likely

than independents (33%) and Republicans (18%) to say

protesting against speakers is always acceptable.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Student Views of Ways to Protest Speakers

Do you think each of the following actions that could

be taken by college students are always acceptable,

sometimes acceptable or never acceptable?

ALWAYS

ACCEPTABLE

SOMETIMES

ACCEPTABLE

NEVER

ACCEPTABLE

ENGAGING IN PROTESTS AGAINST SPEAKERS

All 36 50 14

Men 40 46 14

Women 34 53 13

Whites 39 48 13

Blacks 33 47 19

Democrats 47 44 9

Independents 33 52 15

Republicans 18 58 24

HBCU students 30 57 13

SHOUTING DOWN SPEAKERS OR TRYING TO

PREVENT THEM FROM TALKING

All 3 34 62

Men 3 30 67

Women 4 38 58

Whites 3 35 62

Blacks 4 32 63

Democrats 4 46 49

Independents 3 28 69

Republicans 2 19 78

HBCU students 6 36 58

USING VIOLENCE TO STOP A SPEECH, PROTEST

ORRALLY

All 1 9 90

Men 1 9 90

Women 1 9 90

Whites 1 8 91

Blacks 0 9 91

Democrats 1 9 90

Independents 1 10 89

Republicans 2 5 93

HBCU students 2 7 91

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ENGAGING IN SITINS OR SIMILAR ATTEMPTS TO

DISRUPT OPERATIONS IN CAMPUS BUILDINGS

All 19 48 33

Men 15 49 36

Women 21 48 31

Whites 20 51 30

Blacks 24 41 34

Democrats 27 50 23

Independents 16 46 38

Republicans 5 51 44

HBCU students 25 39 36

DENYING THE NEWS MEDIA ACCESS TO COVER A

PROTEST OR RALLY ON CAMPUS

All 5 34 60

Men 5 27 68

Women 6 40 54

Whites 4 32 63

Blacks 7 34 58

Democrats 5 31 64

Independents 5 37 57

Republicans 7 36 56

HBCU students 11 45 43

Students who are more engaged with the news on social

media are more likely than those who are less engaged

to ﬁnd shouting down speakers acceptable. Social media

usage does not correlate with support for other practices

that can prevent or promote speech.

Other means of expressing dissent ﬁnd varying levels of

acceptance among college students. Ninety-four percent

say distributing pamphlets or literature on controversial

issues is acceptable at least sometimes, and 67% say the

same about sit-ins or other aempts to disrupt campus

operations.

Harkening back to the incidents surrounding campus

protests on racial maers in the fall of 2015, 60% of college

students say it is never acceptable to deny the press

access to cover events on campus, while 39% say this is

always or sometimes acceptable. As was the case in 2016,

HBCU students show higher levels of support than other

subgroups for denying press access to cover campus

events. Currently, 56% of HBCU students say blocking

the media from covering rallies or protests on campus is

always (11%) or sometimes (45%) acceptable.

Student Views of Forms of Protest

Do you think each of the following actions that could

be taken by college students are always acceptable,

sometimes acceptable or never acceptable?

ALWAYS

ACCEPTABLE

SOMETIMES

ACCEPTABLE

NEVER

ACCEPTABLE

DISTRIBUTING PAMPHLETS OR LITERATURE ON

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

All 53 41 5

Men 58 37 5

Women 50 45 5

Whites 58 38 4

Blacks 43 44 12

Democrats 53 42 5

Independents 53 41 6

Republicans 56 39 5

HBCU students 51 41 7

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Opinions of Students Shouting Down

Speakers, by Social Media Usage for

Discussing Issues

% Always acceptable

% Sometimes acceptable

% Never acceptable

NONE

MODERATE

HEAVY

STUDENTS ARE NOT HIGHLY

AWARE OF FREE SPEECH MATTERS

ON CAMPUS

College students do not show a great deal of awareness

about free speech issues or policies on their campus. Six in

10 students are unsure whether their college has a speech

code, has a free speech zone, has disinvited a speaker

because of student opposition or has canceled a planned

speech because of concerns about violence. Most are

aware of whether their campus has safe spaces — 62% say

it does and 6% say it does not.

According to the reports of college students, 7% say their

college has disinvited a speaker because of opposition from

campus groups; 30% say this has not occurred at their

college. Also, 5% say their college has canceled a planned

speech because of concerns of violence; 35% say this has

not happened.

Slightly more students report that their college has a

speech code or a free speech zone than say it does not.

Awareness of campus policies or issues does not vary

greatly by subgroup, although more Democrats than

Republicans say their college has safe spaces.

Student Awareness of Campus Policies

As far as you know, does your college have any of the

following, or are you unsure?

% YES % NO % UNSURE

A FREE SPEECH ZONE

All 21 18 60

Men 20 20 60

Women 23 16 61

Whites 18 19 62

Blacks 24 21 55

Democrats 21 19 60

Independents 23 16 60

Republicans 18 20 62

HBCU students 37 18 45

SAFE SPACES

All 62 6 32

Men 56 8 35

Women 67 5 29

Whites 62 7 31

Blacks 60 8 32

Democrats 68 6 26

Independents 60 5 34

Republicans 51 8 41

HBCU students 69 8 23

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Student Awareness of Campus Policies Cont’d.

As far as you know, does your college have any of the

following, or are you unsure?

% YES % NO % UNSURE

A SPEECH CODE

All 20 13 67

Men 24 15 61

Women 17 12 71

Whites 20 14 66

Blacks 14 13 72

Democrats 18 13 69

Independents 22 13 65

Republicans 20 14 66

HBCU students 22 12 66

Student Awareness of Campus Actions on

Controversial Speakers

As far as you know, in the past year has your college … or

are you unsure?

% YES % NO % UNSURE

DISINVITED SPEAKERS BECAUSE SOME GROUPS OF

STUDENTS WERE OPPOSED TO THE INVITATION

All 7 30 63

Men 8 33 58

Women 5 27 67

Whites 7 33 60

Blacks 4 26 70

Democrats 8 30 62

Independents 6 29 65

Republicans 5 32 63

HBCU students 5 30 65

CANCELED A PLANNED SPEECH BECAUSE

OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF

VIOLENTPROTESTS

All 5 35 60

Men 5 39 55

Women 4 32 64

Whites 4 39 57

Blacks 3 29 68

Democrats 6 36 58

Independents 4 33 63

Republicans 2 39 59

HBCU students 4 36 60

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

STUDENTS MORE LIKELY TO

PROTEST FOR DIVERSITY THAN

FOR FREE SPEECH

College campuses have a long history of political

activism. While participation in campus protests is

relatively uncommon for students, 26% say they aended

demonstrations or protests regarding issues of diversity

and inclusion in the last 12 months. Far fewer aended

a protest on free speech issues (12%) or against the

appearance of a controversial speaker on campus (9%).

Democrats were more likely to participate in all types of

protests than Republicans were.

Student Participation in Protest Activities

In the past year, have you personally aended

demonstrations or protests on your campus for each of the

following, or not?

% YES, HAVE % NO, HAVE NOT

DEMONSTRATIONS OR PROTESTS REGARDING

ISSUES OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

All 26 74

Men 22 78

Women 29 71

Whites 25 75

Blacks 33 67

Democrats 36 64

Independents 22 78

Republicans 10 90

HBCU students 27 72

DEMONSTRATIONS OR PROTESTS REGARDING

FREESPEECH

All 12 88

Men 12 88

Women 12 88

Whites 11 89

Blacks 19 81

Democrats 16 84

Independents 10 90

Republicans 6 94

HBCU students 24 76

DEMONSTRATIONS OR PROTESTS AGAINST

CONTROVERSIAL SPEAKERS

All 9 91

Men 8 92

Women 10 90

Whites 8 92

Blacks 11 89

Democrats 12 88

Independents 8 92

Republicans 4 96

HBCU students 15 85

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Students who see their campus as lacking racial and ethnic

diversity are more likely to report participating in protests

about diversity and inclusion. Forty-one percent who

describe their campus as “not very diverse” or “not diverse

at all” say they aended protests on diversity and inclusion

in the past year, compared with 22% of those who believe

their campus is “highly diverse” or “somewhat diverse.”

Also, 39% of students who say they have ever felt

uncomfortable on campus because of something

they heard, versus 22% of those who have not felt

uncomfortable, say they protested for diversity and

inclusion in the past year.

Students who are aware that their campus had disinvited a

speaker are far more likely to report protesting about free

speech issues (30%) or against a controversial speaker

(19%) than are those who say their campus had not revoked

a speaking invitation (12% and 10%, respectively).

There are no meaningful diﬀerences in reports of

protesting free speech issues according to whether a

student’s campus does or does not have a speech code.

In addition, students who regard free speech as more

important to democracy than diversity and inclusion were

no more likely to protest maers of free speech than were

those who prioritize inclusion over free speech, 13% vs. 11%.

However, students who prioritize diversity and inclusion are

more likely to say they protested for inclusion (32%) than

are those who prioritize free speech (19%).

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

CONCLUSION

College students generally endorse First Amendment ideals in the abstract. The vast

majority say free speech is important to democracy and favor an open learning environment

that promotes the airing of a wide variety of ideas. However, the actions of some students in

recent years — from milder actions such as claiming to be threatened by messages wrien

in chalk promoting Trump’s candidacy to the most extreme acts of engaging in violence

to stop aempted speeches — raise issues of just how commied college students are to

upholding First Amendment ideals.

Most college students do not condone more aggressive actions to squelch speech, like

violence and shouting down speakers, although there are some who do. However, students

do support many policies or actions that place limits on speech, including free speech zones,

speech codes and campus prohibitions on hate speech, suggesting that their commitment

to free speech has limits. As one example, barely a majority think handing out literature on

controversial issues is “always acceptable.”

Further, college students acknowledge that campus norms can act to deter speech — a

larger majority than a year ago perceive that their campus climate prevents some people

from expressing their ideas for fear of oﬀending others. Also, students perceive that some

groups on campus have a lesser ability to voice their opinions than other groups do.

Issues surrounding the First Amendment can present dilemmas for college oﬃcials, as they

aempt to address student concerns about campus maers in a way that does not infringe

on other students’ First Amendment rights. Some actions colleges have taken have been

perceived by students, opinion leaders, public oﬃcials and the courts as going too far in

restricting those rights.

Every year new controversies arise, driven by technological advances in communication,

evolving social mores and new cohorts of students entering college who may have diﬀerent

understandings of what the Constitution guarantees its citizens. As such, colleges will need

to continue to keep First Amendment considerations in mind when deciding on policies to

meet these new challenges.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

METHODOLOGY

Results are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 3,014 U.S. college

students, aged 18 to 24, who are currently enrolled as full-time students at four-year colleges,

including an oversample of 216 students at historically black colleges and universities

(HBCUs). Gallup selected a random sample of 240 U.S. four-year colleges with enrollments of

500 students or more, which included 11 HBCUs, and an oversample of 23 additional HBCUs

drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Colleges were

stratiﬁed by college enrollment size, public or private aﬃliation, and region of the country.

Gallup then contacted each sampled college in an aempt to obtain a sample of its students.

Thirty-nine colleges agreed to participate. The group of colleges included six HBCUs, 25

public and 14 private institutions, six from the East, 12 from the Midwest, 15 from the South

and six from the West. Ten colleges had enrollments of 10,000 students or more, 12 had

enrollments between 5,000 and 10,000 students, and 17 had enrollments of less than 5,000.

Gallup used random samples of 40% of each college’s student body (70% for HBCUs), with

one school providing a 20% sample, for its sample frame. The sample frame consisted of

93,164 college students from the 39 colleges. Gallup then emailed each sampled student

to complete an internet survey to conﬁrm his or her eligibility for the study. Gallup also

requested a phone number where the student could be reached for a telephone interview.

A total of 10,355 college students completed the web survey for a response rate of 11%. Of

these, 9,409 students were eligible and provided a working phone number, and 6,702 of

those phone numbers were aempted. Telephone interviews were conducted Nov. 1-Dec.

10, 2017. The response rate for the phone survey was 47% using the American Association

for Public Opinion Research’s RR-III calculation. The combined response rate for the web

recruit and telephone surveys was 5%.

The college student sample was weighted to correct for unequal selection probability

and nonresponse. It was also weighted to match the demographics of U.S. colleges on

enrollment, public or private aﬃliation, region of the country, and HBCU status, based on

statistics from the IPEDS database, to ensure the sample is nationally representative of U.S.

college students. For results based on the total sample of college students, the margin of

sampling error is ±2 percentage points at the 95% conﬁdence level. For results based on the

sample of HBCU students, the margin of sampling error is ±9 percentage points at the 95%

conﬁdence level.

All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design eﬀects for weighting.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical diﬃculties in conducting

surveys can introduce error or bias into the ﬁndings of public opinion polls.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Percentages in the tables and graphs may not total 100%

due to rounding.

Not all questions asked in the survey are reported in this

report. The full questionnaire, topline results, detailed cross

tabulations and raw data may be obtained upon request.

Sample Characteristics

SAMPLE SIZE

(

UNWEIGHTED

)

PERCENTAGE

OFWEIGHTED

SAMPLE

All college students 3,014 100

HBCU students 216 2

Black students,

non-HBCU

193 8

Men 1,231 44

Women 1,781 56

Hispanic 492 14

Non-Hispanic

white

1,758 63

Non-Hispanic

black

351 9

Asian 367 12

Democrat 1,376 42

Independent 1,203 41

Republican 419 16

Democrat/Lean

Democrat

2,116 66

Republican/Lean

Republican

720 27

Protestant/Other

Christian

894 28

Catholic 577 18

Jewish 126 5

Mormon 76 6

Muslim 83 2

No religion 1,096 36

Upper/Upper-

middle class

916 32

Middle class 1,297 44

Lower/Working

class

790 24

Big/Small city 852 27

Suburb 1,303 44

Town/Rural area 848 28

Liberal 1,392 43

Moderate 1,162 41

Conservative 433 15

Age 18 674 22

Age 19 617 20

Age 20 598 20

Age 21 618 20

Age 22+ 507 18

First-year students 818 28

Second-year

students

629 21

Third-year students 708 22

Fourth-year or

higher students

854 28

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

Sample Characteristics Cont’d.

SAMPLE SIZE

(

UNWEIGHTED

)

PERCENTAGE

OFWEIGHTED

SAMPLE

College located

inEast

406 21

College located

inMidwest

1,209 24

College located

inSouth

738 34

College located

inWest

661 21

Public college

student

2,190 71

Private college

student

824 29

Enrollment less

than 10,000

1,115 41

Enrollment

10,000+

1,899 59

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ABOUT GALLUP

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most

pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach,

Gallup knows more about the aitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students

and citizens than any other organization in the world.

For more information, visit www.gallup.com or education.gallup.com.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ABOUT THE JOHN S. AND

JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION

The Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in

journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James

L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged

communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

For more information, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ABOUT THE AMERICAN

COUNCIL ON EDUCATION

Celebrating its centennial in 2018, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation’s

higher education institutions, representing nearly 1,800 college and university presidents

and related associations. It provides leadership on key higher education issues and

inﬂuences public policy through advocacy.

For more information, visit www.acenet.edu.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ABOUT THE CHARLES KOCH

FOUNDATION

More than 50 years ago, Charles G. Koch began supporting education in the belief that

everyone has the ability to learn, contribute, and succeed if they have the freedom and

opportunity to do so. The Charles Koch Foundation, founded in 1980, continues this work by

funding research and education that helps people expand their horizons, develop their skills,

and help others. Through grants to more than 350 colleges and universities nationwide and

non-proﬁt organizations, the Foundation connects scholars, students, and partners with the

resources to explore diverse ideas and solutions that meet the challenges of our day.

For more information, visit charleskochfoundation.org.

FREE EXPRESSION ON CAMPUS: WHAT COLLEGE STUDENTS THINK ABOUT FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES

ABOUT THE STANTON

FOUNDATION

The Stanton Foundation was created by Frank Stanton, who is widely regarded as one of the

greatest executives in the history of electronic communications and one of the television

industry’s founding fathers. The Foundation’s interests include classic and 21

century First

Amendment issues, and the larger challenge of the creation of a beer informed citizenry.

For more information, visit thestantonfoundation.org.