A 2017 survey conducted by FIRE and YouGov analyzed 1,250 college students’ attitudes toward free expression on college campuses. The survey includes questions about self-expression and censorship, students’ reactions to the speech of their peers, guest speakers, disinvitations, and how students identify and perceive of hate speech. The results of the survey show that a majority of students on college campuses self-censor in class, support disinviting guest speakers they disagree with, and don’t know that hate speech is protected by the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, results show that there is a partisan divide in attitudes toward free expression on campus.
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Commentary on Speaking Freely Report
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Partisan divides in attitudes toward the disinvitation of campus guest speakers, January 16, 2018
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Comparing college students’ and the American adult populations’ attitudes toward hate speech, January 4, 2018
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Comparing 2- and 4-year college students’ attitudes toward expression, November 20, 2017
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Measuring students’ reactions to peer expression, November 13, 2017
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Partisanship and ideology, November 1, 2017
- ‘Speaking Freely’: Self-expression in the classroom and on campus, October 25, 2017
- A review of surveys on free speech and expression, October 12, 2017