(CAMPUS REFORM) — A new study released by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) confirms what many have long believed: college students don’t respect the First Amendment.
According to the survey, which FIRE calls “the most comprehensive survey on students’ attitudes about free speech to date,” a majority of college students self-censor during classroom discussions and support the disinvitation of controversial speakers, while a plurality even believe that hate speech is not constitutionally protected.
FIRE, with the help of nonpartisan research firm YouGov, surveyed 1,250 undergraduates between May 25 and June 8, finding that 48 percent of respondents think that hate speech should not be protected by the First Amendment, including 13 percent who associate hate speech with violence, while only 46 percent recognize that it is.
