A Yale University-based Buckley Institute survey has revealed a significant shift in the political attitudes of American undergraduate students, with a record high of 49% supporting campus speech codes to regulate student and faculty expression. The study, conducted by Inquire LLC, found that liberal students are increasingly receptive to socialist economic models and supportive of censorship.
The 2026 National Undergraduate Study indicates that 53% of self-identified liberals endorse the implementation of speech codes on college campuses. Additionally, 55% of liberal students would avoid taking classes from professors who share opposing political views, while 65% maintain politically homogeneous friend groups.
On the issue of criminalizing offensive speech, 47% of liberal respondents believe it should be subject to prosecution—significantly higher than the 24% of conservatives and 34% of moderates. When asked whether physical violence is sometimes justified to prevent hate speech or racially charged comments, 54% of liberals agreed, compared to 30% of conservatives and 36% of moderates.
The survey also found that 38% of liberal students stated Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric at Utah Valley University was harmful and threatening to many, warranting consequences. Only 13% of all respondents overall considered Kirk’s assassination a negative sign for public discourse on college campuses.
Furthermore, 58% of liberal students who support both censorship and political violence prefer living under a socialist regime. Fifty-seven percent of liberals also stated that socialist countries like Cuba and the former Soviet Union offer better economic models than U.S.-style capitalism.
The study revealed that 66% of liberal respondents agree with the statement: “America is inextricably linked to white supremacy and in general most minorities remain excluded from the American promise of equality.” Additionally, 28% of liberals somewhat or strongly agreed that America “deserved September 11th.”
The Buckley Institute noted that the 14-point spread in favor of socialism is the largest in five years the question has been asked and only the third time socialism has led capitalism. The only major demographic groups that favored capitalism over socialism were conservatives and Asian students.
This report is based on data from the 2026 National Undergraduate Study by the Buckley Institute, conducted through Inquire LLC.
