The Public Is Over the Protests

Late last year, the Center for Applied Research in Education at the University of Southern California asked 1,857 adults for their thoughts on student protests. The survey was given in the wake of widespread campus upheavals following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. Perhaps surprisingly for the young men and women occupying university buildings and disrupting ceremonies and speeches, respondents were largely unsupportive of disruptive student behavior. Indeed, colleges that wish to enforce their rules are likely to find ample backing from the public.

College campuses across the country have experienced a spectrum of outbreaks over the last year and a half, from disrupted classes to group chants in campus buildings. These protests have become stronger since the Israel-versus-the-Palestinians debate has become a heavier point of discussion. While survey designers gave no specification about which protests they had in mind, activism related to the chaos in the Middle East was surely the first example that came to mind for many interviewees. Asked to talk about campus unrest, many respondents likely called to mind images of keffiyeh-clad undergraduates harassing campus Jews with impunity.

Even now, with the world in widespread disagreement about the Middle East, protests are less popular than many students think. The results themselves are startling. Large percentages of the adults interviewed stated that multiple forms of protest are “never” appropriate. These include criticizing universities online (38 percent), walking out of class (44 percent), and occupying campus buildings (56 percent).

Responses further showed that the most inappropriate form of protest was viewed as disrupting graduation, with 79 percent of interviewees voting the action “never appropriate.” Perhaps some respondents attended their own children’s ceremonies and know firsthand of what they speak.

Institutions should create stronger protocols to make sure that protests on campus are not allowed to disrupt academic activities. The survey states that 86 percent of respondents believe that it is “sometimes” or “always” okay for students to be arrested for breaking the law. Intriguingly, as Inside Higher Ed put it, “every example of an institution’s response to protests received a higher approval rating than any example of a protest action.” While protesting can be a civil way or a destructive way of sharing one’s thoughts about a political or social issue, it has never been the most widely popular form of communication. Even now, with the world in widespread disagreement about the situation in the Middle East, it is clear that protests are less popular than many students may think.

When asked why student protests have not only remained unpopular throughout history but have continued to decrease in popularity, Robert Cohen, a history professor at NYU, shared his thoughts. “Students, their role is to go to school, obey orders and come home.” As far as the public is concerned, “that’s what they’re supposed to do. Students who are protesting are breaking away from that role that they’re supposed to play.”

Angus Johnston, a historian of student protests, highlights for IHE the important distinction between disruptive protests and destructive protests. While some may be in favor of or opposed to both, there is still a dramatic variation in their effects.

Whoever is right, institutions will likely continue to see escalations in the way protests occur, as students continue performing for social media and each other. In the face of this likelihood, institutions should create stronger protocols to make sure that protests on campus are not allowed to disrupt academic activities. The public is on their side.

Regan Glass is a graduate student in education at North Carolina State University and a 2025 Martin Center intern.