A shocking new study released on Thursday shows that 4 out of 5 Americans at least somewhat agree with the notion that free speech can be considered violence.

As the Daily Caller reports, the survey in question was conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), formerly known as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. The study saw 80% of respondents agree, to some degree, with the statement that “words can be violence.” Only a mere 12% of Generation Z respondents disagreed.

The study also showed that women were more likely than men to believe that speech can be considered violence, with 86% of women agreeing compared to 73% of men. Along party lines, 89% of Democrats agreed with the statement, against 73% of Republicans and 72% of independents.

However, 90% of respondents agreed that they should be allowed to speak freely during a public comment session, while 70% said they should be allowed to criticize public officials during council meetings. Another 55% said that they should have the right to post videos online mocking candidates and politicians.

The poll also revealed that most Americans have to self-censor their own speech, with 85% reporting doing so in the last month. Another 38% expressed concerns that their job may be at risk if someone complains about something they said.

Overall, 64% of Americans believe that free speech in the United States is heading in the wrong direction, with 40% saying that they believe their rights to free speech are “not very” or “not at all.”

“Equating words with violence trivializes actual physical harm, shuts down conversations, and even encourages real violence by justifying the use of force against offensive speech,” said Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO of FIRE in a press release following the results of the study. “Free speech isn’t violence, it’s the best alternative to violence ever invented.”

The poll was conducted from October 4th through October 11th. The sample size was 1,000 Americans, with a margin of error of 3%.