New Buckley Institute Survey Shows Progress and Cause for Concern

The Buckley Institute recently released its 2025 Yale Undergraduate Survey showing a persistent gap between Yale’s formal free speech commitments and broader campus culture. 

As Buckley Institute Founder and Executive Director Lauren Noble ’11 notes, “To its credit, Yale has made progress in dialing back the censorious culture that has dominated campus for years. Nonetheless, it is still too early to celebrate as a sizable contingent still supports shouting down and even acts of violence against those who share opinions they disagree with.” 

The survey, conducted by College Pulse between September 11 and 29, 2025, gathered responses from 517 Yale undergraduates. Just over half now report some familiarity with the Woodward Report, Yale’s free speech policy. Students are also exposed to more messages about the importance of free speech from Yale officials: 61% report that faculty, administrators, or first-year counselors discuss the value of free speech very or somewhat often, up from 28% in 2023.

Despite greater appreciation for free speech on paper, however, 39% of students still report self-censoring in class, including 79% of Republican students. About one in four undergraduates also say it is acceptable to shout down a speaker or to use violence to stop what they regard as “hate speech.”

Although it is clear progress has been made in strengthening free expression at Yale, many still hesitate to share their views and a significant segment of students are willing to silence others. If Yale is to live up to its motto of Lux et Veritas, light and truth, it must demonstrate its willingness to stand up to the censorious minority. 

Full results of the Buckley Institute’s 2025 Yale Undergraduate Survey can be found here.