OfS research finds nearly half of students do not have a good understanding of their free speech rights

Conducted by YouGov, the research provides insights into what students think about freedom of speech, their experiences, and the obstacles they have observed during their time in higher education. It comprised qualitative research with an online student community and a quantitative survey of a representative sample of over 1,000 students at English universities.

The research suggests that the majority (84 per cent) of students in England were aware they had some rights relating to freedom of speech. However, this awareness was not matched by an understanding of the detail, with nearly half (49 per cent) saying they were aware but “knew little” about these rights. Other findings include:

• Over three-quarters (76 per cent) of students believed that freedom of speech was very or fairly well protected on their campus. This belief was highest among younger respondents (84 per cent of those aged 18 to 20 compared with 65 per cent aged 30+). Male students were also more likely than female students to believe free speech was very well protected (26 per cent compared with 19 per cent). In the qualitative research, members of minority groups, particularly students from ethnic minority backgrounds, religious minorities and international students, reported feeling as though their contributions were more constrained compared to their peers in other groups.
• The most frequently cited concerns of those students who said they did not feel free to raise controversial topics were fear of social consequences, desire to avoid offence and fear of legal or academic consequences.
• Students reported feeling more free to raise controversial or challenging ideas in in-person seminars (71 per cent) or small group discussions (61 per cent) compared with lectures held in person (55 per cent) and those held online (46 per cent).
• Only half of respondents (52 per cent) said that they had received any communication about their rights to freedom of speech directly from their institution.

Respondents also gave their views on a range of interventions that were offered as ways their institution could improve freedom of speech, as well as sharing some of their own suggestions. These included staff explicitly stating that their class is a safe space to discuss various ideas, clear guidelines and boundaries discussed at the beginning of classes or lectures, and strong safeguarding against online harassment and bullying.

OfS Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, Arif Ahmed, said:

‘Free speech is fundamental to higher education, and every student is entitled to study in a culture that values robust, lawful debate. Today’s research shows that students care deeply about these rights.

‘It also gives us crucial insights into how the experiences of students can vary among groups. These findings echo our previous research into academics’ perceptions of free speech, which found that female academics and those from ethnic minority backgrounds felt less able to discuss challenging or controversial subjects in their teaching than their male and white colleagues. Historically free speech has most benefited oppressed and minority groups, who should have just the same access to this fundamental right as their peers.

‘It’s important that we and the institutions we regulate have a good understanding of how students feel and think about these issues. And institutions must also bring their own relevant free speech duties, and their own free speech code, to the attention of all their students.

‘We hope that today’s research will be useful to universities and colleges considering the barriers their students may face in speaking up, and about how they might empower them to do so more freely. We welcome conversations with institutions that have questions about their approach to free speech ahead of the new complaints scheme being implemented in September.’

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. Our strategy for 2025 to 2030 seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
2. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,039 higher education students in England. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1 and 18 December 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of English higher education students (aged 18+).
3. Read the findings of our 2025 survey of research and teaching staff in higher education in England on perceptions of free speech.