Hasan Piker is far from alone in holding controversial views about the Sept. 11 attacks.
A striking new survey finds that more than one in five college students believe the United States deserved the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
According to the Buckley Institute poll, 22% of respondents agreed with the statement, “America deserved Sept. 11.” The al Qaeda attacks killed nearly 3,000 people after hijacked planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center, destroying the Twin Towers.
Another 72% rejected the statement, while 6% said they were unsure. The survey included 803 undergraduate students from across the United States.
Most of the students surveyed were not yet born when the attacks occurred 25 years ago.
The 22% who agreed echoed comments made by figures such as left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who said in 2019 that America “deserved 9/11.” More recently, Piker has argued that the US military has carried out more terrorism than al Qaeda.
The Buckley Institute’s annual survey also found that college students are moving further toward socialism while expressing increasingly negative views of Israel.
Students were asked which economic system they would choose if given the option.
Forty-two percent said they would prefer to live under socialism, compared with 28% who chose capitalism. The remaining 30% did not express a preference.
The 14-point advantage for socialism marks the widest margin recorded since the institute began asking the question five years ago.
Nearly half of respondents, 47%, also agreed that although socialist countries such as Cuba and the former Soviet Union have had flaws, they provide a better economic model than capitalist nations such as the United States.
By comparison, 33% said American-style capitalism was the superior system.
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The poll also showed a growing divide over Israel, with unfavorable views increasing during the past year.
When asked whether Palestine or Israel is a stronger US ally, 38% selected Palestine and 25% chose Israel. That represents a nine-point shift away from Israel compared with last year’s results.
The survey further indicated that more students view racism as an ongoing systemic problem in the United States.
Fifty percent said the country remains deeply connected to white supremacy and that most racial minorities continue to be shut out of the promise of equal opportunity.
Only 39% said the nation is making progress and extending the promise of equality to an increasing number of people.
On free speech, 40% of students said offensive speech should be prosecuted as a crime, while 52% disagreed.
“This year’s survey demonstrates that censorious attitudes remain stubbornly high on America’s college campuses,” said Lauren Noble, the Buckley Institute’s founder and executive director.
“During the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, America’s college students have swung heavily in favor of socialism. Alarmingly, those same students are more likely to support shout downs, violence to stop hate speech, and other tools of censorship.”
On another divisive issue, most undergraduates said transgender athletes should not compete in women’s sports.
One-third supported allowing transgender athletes to compete in whichever gender category they find most comfortable. By contrast, 53% said that policy would be unfair to female athletes because of biological differences between men and women.
The Buckley Institute takes its name from William F. Buckley Jr., a prominent conservative leader who founded National Review, hosted PBS’ “Firing Line” and ran for New York City mayor in 1965 as the Conservative Party candidate.
Inquire LLC conducted the national survey for the Buckley Institute from Sept. 5 through Sept. 14. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
