53 Percent of College Students Choose Diversity Over Free Speech

Fifty-three percent of college students believe that promoting diversity and inclusivity is more important than free speech. A Gallup survey found that 46 percent take the opposite view and believe free speech is the higher value.[1]

Men and Republicans are more likely to value free speech. Women and Democrats are more likely to place a higher value on inclusivity and diversity.

However, in a recent article for National Review, David French writes that offering a choice between freedom and diversity is a logical fallacy. "Yet that line of thinking posits a false conflict. No one is more empowered by free speech than the historically marginalized and dispossessed. Writing in 1860, Frederick Douglass rightly declared free speech to be the 'great moral renovator of society and government.'"[2]

The U.S. Supreme Court did not apply constitutionally protected freedom of speech to the states until the 20th century. Douglas believed that "slavery cannot tolerate free speech" and that "five years of its exercise would banish the auction block and break every chain in the South."

French concludes that "the true conflict isn’t between speech and diversity, it’s between speech and the unaccountable power that political and cultural leaders so consistently crave." He adds that "speech is the engine that powers American diversity. Individual liberty is indispensable to true inclusivity."

"Footnotes:

1. Gallup, "More U.S. College Students Say Campus Climate Deters Speech," March 12, 2018
2. National Review, "A New Campus Survey Reveals Just How Students Are 'Unlearning Liberty,'" March 13, 2018

   Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.​

   Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.