Survey: 45% of undergraduates say violence can be justified to stop ‘hate speech’

Nearly half of undergraduate students surveyed said physical violence can be justified to stop what they consider “hate speech,” the Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey found.

The survey, cited by Fox News, reported that 45% of respondents endorsed violence to halt speech they deem hateful. The institute’s findings included ideological breakdowns: 54% of self-identified liberals, 36% of moderates and 30% of conservatives agreed with that view.

Other results reported by the Buckley Institute included 46% of students supporting shout-downs of speakers, 40% saying offensive speech should face criminal prosecution, 42% preferring a socialist system compared with 28% choosing capitalism, and 22% saying the U.S. deserved the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The survey was conducted by Inquire LLC and included 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 attending four-year public or private colleges and universities. Respondents completed the online survey between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14, 2026.

Cornerstone University President Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, speaking to Fox News Digital, characterized the results as a “moral formation issue” and warned that students have developed a “violent entitlement.” Moreno-Riaño, who has led the private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, since 2021, said the findings reflect what he called a broader failure of moral education in higher education.

In his remarks to Fox News, Moreno-Riaño also linked the survey results to concerns among employers about the value and character of recent graduates and warned of consequences he said could affect hiring and workplace training decisions.

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