1 in 10 students 'disciplined or threatened with discipline' for expressing their views on college campuses: Survey

Approximately one in 10 students reported that they have been "disciplined or threatened with discipline" for expressing their views on college campuses, according to a recent survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and College Pulse.

The survey asked 2,007 undergraduate students studying in the United States about the state of freedom of speech at their colleges.

"Have you ever been disciplined by your college's administration for your expression on campus?" the survey asked.

Roughly 3% of respondents answered, "Yes," while 6% replied, "No, but I have been threatened with discipline."

Of those respondents, 26% stated the discipline or threat of discipline occurred as a result of speech they made in their dorm room, 22% in a meeting with an administrator, 21% during in-class discussion, 14% in a conversation with peers in a common shared space on campus, and 13% in written assignments.

Students were also asked, "Has someone you know on campus ever been disciplined for their expression on campus?"

Approximately 7% replied, "Yes," and 11% said, "No, but I know someone who has been threatened with discipline."

As a result of the survey, FIRE concluded that roughly one in 10 college students were punished or threatened with punishment for their speech.

"If this sounds low, consider that given the total undergraduate population as of 2021, about 1.4 million undergraduate students may have been punished or threatened with discipline for their speech," FIRE's press release stated.

FIRE director of polling and analytics Sean Stevens explained, "When students are as likely to be punished for their speech as they are to be left-handed, the situation on campus is clearly out of hand."

"And worse, this will have a snowball effect, because students whose peers are censored will be more likely to keep their mouths shut," Stevens added.

FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff said, "It's a dark day for free speech when students aren't safe to express themselves in their own dorm rooms."

"We hope that this data is a wake-up call for administrators and pushes them to examine the way they respond to reports of offensive speech," Lukianoff continued. "When in doubt, they should reach out to FIRE for guidance rather than disciplining students for sharing their opinions."

The survey also found that 38% of students say they have heard speech on their college campus that they believe constitutes "an act of violence."

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