Are students still ‘woke’?
Think tank: HEPI
Author(s): Nick Hillman OBE
January 15, 2026
This report from UK think tank HEPI explores students’ views on free speech issues.
In a new poll on a range of free speech issues, 35% of full-time undergraduate students say they think Reform UK ‘should be banned from speaking at events held at higher education institutions’.
The new opinion poll, which was conducted by Savanta for the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), took place in November 2025 and generally repeated questions that were previously posed in 2016 and 2022, allowing a comparison of changing views over time.
Overall, the results show students’ views on free issues tend to be nuanced and they sometimes seem contradictory. In particular, while the principle of free speech has stronger support from students than in the past, so do specific bans.
