{"id":2524870,"date":"2025-12-25T09:01:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T14:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/surprising-share-of-college-students-thinks-words-can-be-violence\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T09:05:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T14:05:16","slug":"surprising-share-of-college-students-thinks-words-can-be-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/surprising-share-of-college-students-thinks-words-can-be-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Share of College Students Thinks &#8216;Words Can Be Violence&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsurprising-share-of-college-students-thinks-words-can-be-violence%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2524870&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent poll by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), conducted Oct. 3-31 with 2,028 college students (\u00b12.2% margin of error and intentionally overrepresenting Utah Valley University),tracked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/free-speech-group-squashes-universitys-bias-reporting-system-in-court\/\" title=\"... Group Squashes University\u2019s Bias Reporting System In Court\">campus speech<\/a> attitudes after the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Roughly 48% of students nationwide-and 46% of Utah Valley students-said they &#8220;wholly&#8221; or &#8220;mostly&#8221; agree that &#8220;words can be violence.&#8221; Students were more likely than the general public to see political violence as a bipartisan problem, and while 34% of Utah Valley students (versus 28% nationwide) said political violence is a problem among progressives, 42% of both samples said it is a problem among conservatives; slight majorities described it as a problem across all political groups. The poll also found increased self-censorship: at Utah Valley,reports of self-censoring in class rose from 24% (previous FIRE ranking) to 34% after the killing. FIRE concluded the incident has had a chilling effect on campus expression-students are speaking less and are less comfortable attending events-and urged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rutgers-administrators-apologize-for-condemning-anti-semitism\/\" title=\"Rutgers Administrators Apologize for Condemning Anti-Semitism\">campus leaders<\/a> and policymakers to address fear and rebuild a culture that protects open inquiry.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The vast majority of American college students agree with the sentiment that &ldquo;words can be violence,&rdquo; according to a new poll tracking campus speech culture.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/research-learn\/how-assassination-charlie-kirk-reshaping-campus-speech-nationwide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">survey<\/a> from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which polled 2,028 college students between Oct. 3 and Oct. 31, followed opinions on campus speech after the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n<p>The poll had a +\/- 2.2 percent margin of error and intentionally overrepresented Utah Valley University, where Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10.<\/p>\n<p>About 48 percent of students nationwide agreed either &ldquo;completely&rdquo; or &ldquo;mostly&rdquo; with the sentiment that &ldquo;words can be violence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A slightly lower  of Utah Valley students agreed, with 46 percent &ldquo;completely&rdquo; or &ldquo;mostly&rdquo; concurring with the sentiment.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Students were also more likely than the general public to say political violence is a bipartisan problem, suggesting a broader sense of threat but perhaps also a more universal framing of the issue,&rdquo; the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said of the results.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The aftermath of Charlie Kirk&rsquo;s murder shows how fragile free expression has become in America.<\/p>\n<p>Let&rsquo;s be clear: If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/project-veritas-strips-cnn-naked\/\" title=\"Project Veritas Strips CNN Naked\">free speech<\/a> only survives when convenient, it isn&rsquo;t free.<\/p>\n<p>Endurance, not outrage, is the true measure of democracy.<\/p>\n<p>&#9997;&#127995;: FIRE&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamuelAbramsAEI?\">@SamuelAbramsAEI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JauIUWYilm\">pic.twitter.com\/JauIUWYilm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FIRE (@TheFIREorg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorg\/status\/1996294769010483600?\">December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The survey therefore showed that most students conflate political speech with violence, a mentality that Tyler Robinson, the progressive alleged shooter of Kirk, expressed before the assassination.<\/p>\n<p>Utah Valley students were meanwhile more likely than their peers across the country to say &ldquo;political violence is a problem among progressives,&rdquo; with 34 percent agreeing with the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >statement versus 28 percent nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But a higher  of both Utah Valley students and students from other schools think that &ldquo;political violence is a problem among conservatives,&rdquo; with 42 percent of both samples agreeing.<\/p>\n<p>Slight majorities meanwhile said that &ldquo;political violence is a problem among all political groups.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Kirk assassination also led to an increase in self-censorship among students.<\/p>\n<p>About 24 percent of respondents from Utah Valley previously said in the College Free Speech Rankings from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression that they self-censor during classroom discussions, but now 34 percent of Utah Valley students say the same.<\/p>\n<p>The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression concluded that &ldquo;the assassination has had a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/liberal-media-scream-vance-schools-cbs-and-bishops-on-illegal-immigration-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Liberal Media Scream: Vance schools CBS and bishops on illegal immigration - Washington Examiner\">chilling effect &#038;mdash<\/a>; not just at UVU, but across the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Students say they are pulling back, are speaking less, and are less comfortable attending events. This is not being done in response to policy, but because of fear,&rdquo; the organization said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If campus leaders, faculty, and policymakers want to protect academic freedom and open inquiry, they must reckon with that fear, and work to rebuild a culture of expression that can withstand not just controversy, but crisis.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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