Students uninterested in winning debates fairly are turning to 'heckler's veto'
The campus free speech crisis, historically driven by elements on the political left, is no longer a one-sided issue in higher education.
The campus free speech crisis is no longer just a one-sided problem. A new national survey shows that students from both political parties are embracing disruptive tactics to shut down speech they oppose.
The 2026 College Free Speech Rankings Survey, conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), found that 73% of students say it is at least “rarely acceptable” to engage in disruptive tactics like shouting down speakers (a “heckler’s veto”), blocking access to events, or even using violence to silence opposing views, according to a partial release of FIRE data.
Historically, this has been overwhelmingly a problem on the left.
Nearly 8 in 10 strong Democrats (79%) say it is acceptable, at least sometimes, to shout down a speaker. Strong Democrats are also the most likely group to justify blocking speakers or disrupting events, a trend that has persisted for years.
But what’s new in 2025 is the growing Republican embrace of disruption.
For the first time, FIRE’s data shows that over half of strong Republicans now say it is acceptable to shout down a speaker. More concerning still, Republicans have surpassed Democrats in support for using violence against speakers they disagree with — though most still say it should only happen rarely.
The survey suggests that while Democrats continue to dominate when it comes to endorsing disruption, Republican students appear to be increasingly open to more aggressive tactics. In fact, FIRE notes that strong Republicans are now about evenly split between saying violence is “rarely acceptable” and “sometimes acceptable.”
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These findings suggest a troubling convergence: Democrats normalized disruptive tactics in campus culture, and Republicans are beginning to follow suit.
While students on the left remain more likely overall to justify silencing speech, the data shows a dangerous bipartisan trend that could further erode open debate in higher education and further endanger the United States’ unique culture of free speech.
