30% of college students say violence acceptable way to stop speakers on campuses, survey finds

Thirty percent of college students nationwide believe using violence is an acceptable way to stop a controversial speaker at a campus event, according to a new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

Specifically, 3% said it was always acceptable, 12% said it was sometimes acceptable and 16% said it was rarely acceptable to use violence as a means of prohibiting a speaker from appearing on a college campus, according to FIRE's survey .

The data comes a year after Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a college event held by his organization, Turning Point USA, on Sept.

10, 2025, where Kirk was engaging in debate with students.

I’M A UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT.

OUR PROFESSION SHOULD FINISH WHAT CHARLIE KIRK STARTED FIRE noted in its findings that the percentage has declined from last year.

In 2025, 34% of students believed using violence as a protest action was acceptable.

However, this year's findings are up 10 points from four years ago, according to FIRE.

Seventy percent of students nationwide said in this year's findings that using violence was never acceptable to oppose a speaker.

Similarly, 69% of students nationwide believe shouting down a speaker is acceptable, which is down three points from last year.

However, the 2026 findings are still up seven points from four years ago.

ERIKA KIRK URGES CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS NOT TO BACK DOWN IN FIRST SCHOOL YEAR SINCE CHARLIE'S ASSASSINATION FIRE Data Analyst Chapin Lenthall-Cleary told Fox News Digital in a statement, "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 said FIRE wasn't sure what caused a decline in this year's results with regard to acceptable responses to speakers on campus.

"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.