Nearly one in five young adults believes it is acceptable to use physical violence as a reason to stop someone from engaging in "harmful" public speech, according to a survey revealed this week by Florida State University's Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC). The startling findings, via a report presented in Americans' Troubling Views on Speech, Harm, and Violence, found 20% of 18-29-year-olds accept violence as a way to silence a speaker, nearly double that of older adults (11%).
"These findings reveal a troubling erosion of free speech principles, particularly among Americans who will shape our civic culture for decades to come," said Ryan Owens, director of the Institute for Governance and Civics, in a release."When one in five young adults believes violence can be justified to silence speech, we're not just seeing a failure of civic education; we're witnessing a fundamental threat to self-governance. That's why our work at the IGC has never been more urgent."
The report, which surveyed 1,447 U.S. adults, also found that nearly two-thirds (59%) of Americans believe some speech can be as harmful as physical violence, overlapping the shocking finding of the previous figure.
Americans are also nearly split (43% disagree/37% agree) on whether free speech should lead to "social harmony and inclusion," the survey found. Moreover, it detailed that respondents who equate speech with violence were more prone to advocate for restrictions on expression, even if they were personally against using force.
The shocking findings follow the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The alleged murderer was 22 at the time of the shooting.
"The generational gap is particularly concerning," added Zach Goldberg, who co-authored the report. "Young adults are not only more likely to see speech as equivalent to violence, but they're also more willing to use force to prevent it. This represents a significant departure from traditional American norms around free speech and political tolerance."
