A new survey from the Buckley Institute finds a striking share of American undergraduates hold views sharply at odds with mainstream public opinion on socialism, free speech, and the September 11 attacks.
The poll surveyed 803 undergraduate college students. Among the findings: 22 percent said the United States deserved the September 11 terrorist attacks, while 72 percent disagreed and 6 percent said they were unsure.
On foreign policy, 38 percent said “Palestine” would be a better U.S. ally than Israel, compared with 25 percent who named Israel — a nine-point shift from 2025.
Asked which economic system they would prefer to live under, 42 percent of respondents chose socialism, 28 percent chose capitalism, and 30 percent had no opinion. When asked whether they agreed that “while socialist countries like Cuba and the Soviet Union have not been perfect, they offer a better economic model than capitalist countries like the United States,” 47 percent agreed, 33 percent disagreed, and 19.5 percent were unsure. The poll found favorability toward socialism at a five-year high.
On speech, 40 percent of students said “offensive speech” should be subject to criminal prosecution — the highest share recorded since the question was first asked three years ago — while 52 percent disagreed.
The survey also found 50 percent of respondents said America is forever linked to white supremacy and that minorities cannot expect equality, while 39 percent said the country has made progress on equality.
Young America’s Foundation has announced a multi-year campaign aimed at countering the appeal of socialism and speech restrictions among young Americans, citing survey findings like these as evidence of the scale of the challenge.
