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After Charlie Kirk Assassination, Young Americans Increasingly Fear Speech Will Be Met by Violence
A new poll by Students for Life of America found that 92 percent of young voters are concerned about violence prompted by political speech.
An overwhelming share of young people are worried about violence being directed at people exercising their right to free speech following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
A recent poll taken by Students for Life of America, a pro-life activist group, found that 92 percent of voters age 18 to 45 are concerned that Americans who speak freely will be targeted for violence, with 24 percent feeling “extremely concerned,” according to a copy of the results first obtained by National Review. A similar share of respondents, 93 percent, said colleges should make free speech a priority and invest in promoting it.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist who founded the youth advocacy group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while delivering remarks at Utah Valley State University in September. Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and charged with Kirk’s murder. Robinson was living with a transgender romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, at the time of the attack. After the shooting, he texted Twiggs explaining that he had “had enough of” Kirk’s “hatred.”
The young voters who were surveyed appear to be justified in their concern about rising violence. The percentage of students who believe violence is an acceptable response to political speech has risen by nearly 80 percent in the past five years, soaring from one in five students in 2020 to one in three in 2025, according to the annual free speech survey published by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
On abortion, the Students for Life survey found a nuanced set of views among the youth. Almost 70 percent of registered youth voters support laws restricting abortion, with 46 percent backing limits to abortion in some circumstances. Only 34 percent support no limits whatsoever on abortion and 20 percent want laws limiting abortion in all circumstances, the poll found.
An area of tension between the Trump administration and the pro-life movement has the Food and Drug Administration’s slow-walking of its promised review on the safety of chemical abortion drugs. Students for Life’s poll observed that 94 percent believe a review of chemical abortion pill policy is important. Likewise, 89 percent of youth voters backed research on the environmental impact of chemical abortion drugs.
“With the midterms right around the corner, both Republicans and Democrats need to pivot on their abortion policy. The Youth Vote represents the largest bloc today. They don’t buy what the Democrats are selling, and they support action on issues that many Republican leaders have failed to move on,” said Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins.
“Our Survey USA poll of registered voters details a path forward for legislators and leaders who want to understand the nuanced views of one of the most critical group of voters. Leaders often say they want to be in ‘the middle’ on abortion and this poll shows we aren’t even close to reaching a middle ground. This details how to lead on LIFE given the political realities of the moment.”
If states and the federal government increased support for mothers, children, and families, 34 percent of youth voters would be more open to abortion restrictions, the survey found. Some conservatives believe increased government support for family formation helps incentivize mothers to choose life and extends the pro-life ethic beyond the womb. The surveyed voters felt similarly, as almost two-thirds supported paid family leave for new parents, education and support services for new parents, early childhood development programs, child-care subsidies, and child tax credits.
Another notable finding from the survey is that 50 percent of respondents believe Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, can be replaced with health-care providers that deliver all of the same services excluding abortion. The Republican budget megabill passed in 2025 defunded Planned Parenthood for a year by preventing it from accepting Medicaid funding. It marked an enormous victory for the pro-life movement and remains the subject of legal battles between the Trump administration and Planned Parenthood. But the administration appears to have restored Planned Parenthood’s Title X funding, further straining its relationship with pro-lifers.
Students for Life partnered with Vinea Research and Survey USA to produce the poll from January 6-10, 2026. They surveyed 1,107 registered voters aged 18-45 with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points either way. The poll was taken ahead of the annual March for Life, where hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to demonstrate in Washington, D.C. in support for protecting unborn children. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak at the rally as pro-life leaders clash with the Trump administration over its flexibility on the Hyde Amendment.