October 14, 2026
New poll shows 1 in 5 college students believe America deserved 9/11
AFA Action CEO: ‘Teaching American students to agree with terrorism against America is not education; it is dangerous indoctrination’
TUPELO, Miss. — According to Buckley Institute’s 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, a shocking 22% of American college students say the U.S. deserved the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition, the institute reported that 45% of undergraduates believe physical violence is justifiable to stop hate speech. “Interestingly, 72% of those who agree that physical violence can be justified to stop hate speech also agree that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment,” the poll found.
“When more than one in five college students believe that America deserved the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people on 9/11, something has gone terribly wrong in our universities,” said Walker Wildmon, CEO of AFA Action, the governmental affairs affiliate of the American Family Association. “Parents are paying tens of thousands of dollars a year to send their children to schools that are teaching them to resent their own country and prefer socialism to the freedom that made America prosper. Equally as alarming, nearly half of these students say that violence is acceptable to silence speech they disagree with, even while most of them also admit that speech is protected by the First Amendment.
“Teaching American students to agree with terrorism against America is not education; it is dangerous indoctrination. Our founders fought to protect free speech, and a society that excuses violence against words will not stay free for long. It’s time for parents, alumni and lawmakers to hold these institutions accountable and demand that they teach students to love their country, respect the truth and defend liberty for everyone.”
AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical family values in society and government by shaping public policy through education and advocacy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world of the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here.
For more information on the American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or X.
For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or X.
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To interview an AFA or AFA Action spokesperson, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
