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July 2022 - Central Government

Most students believe one or more political groups should be banned from speaking at HE institutions: A survey by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has uncovered that most students believe that one or more political groups should be banned from speaking at Higher Education institutions.

The survey polled 1,019 full-time undergraduate students (44% male and 56% female) through YouthSight between 13 and 19 May 2022 asking for their opinions around free speech.

The report titled, ‘You can’t say that!’ What students really think of free speech on campus was last conducted six years ago, and the report's author, Nick Hillman says that since that time, more students champion more controls on free expression than ever before.

The research found that more than a quarter of students (26%) believe that the English Defence League should be banned from speaking at HE institutions, while slightly fewer said UKIP (24%), and the British National Party (19%) should also be banned. Twelve percent (12%) said the Communist Party should be banned, while 11% selected the Conservative Party.

Just 13% of respondents said that none of the political parties listed in the survey should be banned from speaking at universities. This was a fall of 11 percentage points since 2016's survey when 27% said the same.

It was also revealed that nearly two-thirds of students (64%) believe that HE institutions should 'consult special interest groups about on-campus events' (such as religious groups or gender societies). In 2016 the proportion who said the same was 40%.

Two in five respondents said they believe they should be able to protest in response to an event they do not approve of (39%), whilst one in five (20%) believe they should be able to prevent the event from taking place. A further 12% said they should be able to 'disrupt the event'. These figures are all up on the 2016 survey.

When asked if they think that gender segregation should be permitted at official university events, a third said they believe it should be. This is a climb of 12 percentage points since 2016 when 20% said the same.

Almost half of the students polled (48%) were in support of the Government’s proposal to establish a ‘free speech champion’ for universities in England. Around one-quarter  said they disagree (23%), while the remainder were unsure (29%).

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