A shocking new poll of American college students has exposed a stark generational divide in views on the September 11 attacks, with more than one in five undergraduates saying the United States “deserved” the terrorist assault that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The survey, conducted by the conservative Buckley Institute from September 5-14 among 803 full-time students under 25, found 22% agreed with the statement “America deserved September 11th”—a view that drew condemnation from political commentators. Seventy-two percent rejected the notion, while 6% were unsure.
Leftward Shift on Economics and Foreign Policy
The poll revealed a pronounced tilt toward socialist economic views among the college demographic. When asked their preferred system, 42% chose socialism compared to just 28% for capitalism—the widest gap recorded in the five years the institute has asked the question. Nearly half said Cuba and the Soviet Union offered a better economic model than American capitalism, with only 33% defending the U.S. system.
Foreign policy attitudes showed similar trends, with 38% naming “Palestine” as America’s better ally compared to 25% for Israel—a nine-point shift away from Israel from the previous year’s results.
Campus Culture and Free Speech Concerns
The survey highlighted growing concerns about free speech on college campuses. Forty percent of respondents said “offensive speech” should face criminal prosecution, while nearly half supported campus speech codes. Many reported feeling afraid to voice dissenting opinions in class.
Substantial minorities endorsed aggressive tactics against controversial speech, with some justifying shout downs or even physical violence to suppress what they considered “hate speech.” The findings “demonstrate that censorious attitudes remain stubbornly high,” said Buckley Institute Executive Director Lauren Noble.
The poll, conducted through Inquire LLC, has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error, suggesting these views represent a significant minority of today’s college population.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/college-students-shocking-9-11-views-expose-campus-brainwashing-against-america-israel