A major new survey has found that around one in five British teenagers are self-censoring their political opinions because they fear being “cancelled”.
The research was published today by the Economist Educational Foundation, based on responses from 4,167 pupils aged 10 to 17 in British schools. It shows that 22 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds and 19 per cent of 10- to 14-year-olds have stopped themselves from sharing political views they feel strongly about out of concern they will face criticism or cancellation.
The Vote Confident report also reveals that 22 per cent of pupils in both age groups say they have been asked to stop discussing political views at school, GB News reported.
Many teenagers report feeling unprepared to express opinions without offending others, with one teacher noting that older pupils are “self-aware and realise they don’t know enough about politics”.
The findings come as the Labour Government advances plans to lower the voting age to 16 through the Representation of the People Bill, currently at committee stage in the House of Commons.
The survey shows that 44 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds say they would not feel ready to vote, while 45 per cent believe young people should not be given the vote at 16.
Tiffany Smyly, Chief Growth Officer at the Economist Educational Foundation, warned: “If teenagers are worried about being cancelled, then they are not going to be sharing their viewpoints at school or with friends.
“Instead, they are likely to go into chat rooms or forums that do allow them to share a fringe opinion, and that might be where their views become more extreme.”
Flora Letanka, the foundation’s CEO, added that young people are curious about politics but risk being pushed towards polarising social media if open debate is not encouraged in safer environments.
A controversial computer game in the UK, backed by the Home Office and designed to steer young minds away from the dangers of far-right extremism, has backfired. https://t.co/zCfQCkrgkm
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 19, 2026
Critics of so-called “wokeism” and what they describe as aggressive “thought policing” in schools and public life argue that an intolerant atmosphere — particularly around sensitive issues such as gender, race, immigration and cultural change — is discouraging open discussion.
Previous research, including a 2021 YouGov poll showing that 57 per cent of Britons sometimes self-censor for fear of negative reactions, suggests the pattern is longstanding.
Several documented UK school and college cases have resulted in employment tribunals, Court of Appeal rulings, or official disciplinary proceedings where staff or pupils faced sanctions for expressing gender-critical or conservative-leaning views.
In the most prominent ruling, from February 2025, pastoral worker Kristie Higgs was wrongfully dismissed by Farmor’s School in Gloucestershire in 2019 after private Facebook posts criticising LGBT+ teaching materials.
Maths teacher Joshua Sutcliffe was dismissed from Cherwell School, Oxford, in February 2023, and later struck off by the Teaching Regulation Agency for repeatedly using a transgender pupil’s birth pronouns, a decision upheld by the High Court in 2024.
At New College Swindon, teacher Kevin Lister was dismissed in 2022 for refusing to use a biologically female student’s preferred male name and pronoun.
Other examples include pupils disciplined for wearing Union Flag clothing or delivering speeches celebrating British culture on diversity days, with one 12-year-old girl in Warwickshire prevented from speaking because it was deemed inappropriate at a “cultural diversity” event.
