Sometimes, for those of us who are constantly reading statistics and poll results, something stands out that you didn’t expect to see — a number that makes you think the future will not be what you have been expecting.

My latest sighting of such a number was in a March 12 New York Times report of a poll of college students sponsored by the American Council on Education, the Charles Koch Foundation, and the Stanton Foundation. It asked students about free speech on campus, whether it is allowed and whether it should be.