Free speech on America's college campuses is in sharp decline. A survey of nearly 60,000 students reveals which universities are the worst offenders and identifies topics increasingly off-limits due to antisemitism and threats of violence.
Some of the most prestigious universities are among the worst in protecting free speech. A recent survey found that the war in the Middle East is deepening divisions on college campuses, leading to increased censorship.
Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), said, 2023 was the worst year on record for college campuses and says this year's report comes with a stark warning.
"And since October 7th, it's been mainly pro-Palestinian students engaging in these shout-downs, which is mob censorship by definition," said Lukianoff. "2024 is going to blow it out of the water."
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Lukianoff has been monitoring free speech on campuses for decades through the most comprehensive survey to date, covering over 250 universities. Conducted from January to June 2024, the survey gathered responses from students in four-year programs. It found the University of Virginia ranked highest for fostering a strong free-speech environment, followed by Michigan Technological University.
Lukianoff remarked, "It's no coincidence Michigan Tech finished first last year and second this year – they have a balanced political mix among students, which creates a much healthier environment."
On the other hand, the worst schools for free speech include New York University, Columbia, and, at the bottom, Harvard.
"When you have like a nine-to-one liberal-to-conservative ratio, that creates a skew—and certainly when some of these universities have entire departments that don't have a single conservative. It creates terrible groupthink, which is not good for the production of knowledge," said Lukianoff.
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Over half of the students surveyed identified the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the most difficult topic to discuss openly. This issue has now surpassed even abortion and gun control, with Jewish, Muslim, agnostic, and atheist students all reporting significant discomfort when engaging in these conversations.
Lukianoff added, "Honestly, for the first time, university presidents are scared of their own students. Now for me, they've got to show some bravery here – some of them are, but a lot of them are just doing what the loudest people on campus want them to do."
Perhaps even more concerning is how the targeting of free speech is becoming a global problem.
"The global picture of freedom of speech scares me to death," Lukianoff said. "Canada is still considering passing a law that would make speech crimes punishable by life in prison. Ireland has passed a speech law, and thousands of Brits were arrested from 2015 to 2016 for offensive comments on the Internet. Here in America, we're in a bad spot—thank goodness we have the First Amendment and a strong commitment to freedom of speech, but boy, is that going to be tested as the rest of the world turns against it."
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Lukianoff believes universities need massive reforms, suggesting that the college free speech survey could help make campuses safer environments for free speech. He also urges parents to use it when deciding which schools to send their children to.
MORE: We're Losing Our Freedom and Our Choices: Has the Constitution Been Effectively 'Terminated'?
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