A survey of over 800 undergraduates by the Buckley Institute highlights growing anti-Western sentiment on college campuses.
Among the findings, 22% of students agreed that the U.S. "deserved" the September 11 terrorist attacks, which resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 people and the collapse of the World Trade Center, known as the "Twin Towers."
The New York Post noted that the student's surveyed were not alive during attacks that took place 25 years ago.
Zachary Marschall, editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, says a lack of historical context plays a major role in how younger generations view these events.
"It's highly disturbing that nearly a quarter of college students think the U.S. deserves 9/11. Being born way after it happened is, I think, part of the problem. They have no concept of what living through it was like," Marschall states.
Furthermore, an Emmerson College poll found that only 24% of respondents placed the blame of 9/11 on Al Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden, with 10% claiming it was the U.S. government or an inside job. When asked directly if the U.S. helped plan the attack, 25% believed it to be true.
Additionally, over 40% expressed a preference for socialism over capitalism, while nearly 40% identified Palestine as a better American ally than Israel.
Marschall points out that this disconnect often leaves students vulnerable to extreme, anti-Western ideologies online and in higher education classrooms.
"This is also part of a broader anti-Western trend in higher ed and among Gen Z students who follow socialist and Marxist voices online. They want to destroy, they want to overthrow, they're not interested in building anything productive or good for society," Marschall states.
The poll also found that half of respondents believe America is inextricably linked to white supremacy, and 40% support criminalizing "offensive speech."
These findings are not surprising as 46% of students claimed they were Democrats, and 51% said they held a liberal ideology.
