controversial persuasive essay topics

The Civic Educator

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15 Persuasive Essay Topics About Controversial Issues

Controversial issues can be a great way to get your students engaged, and they also make perfect persuasive essay topics.

Whether your goal is to explore the controversial issue itself or to teach the mechanics of persuasive writing, controversial issues and persuasive essays go hand in hand.

In order to write a good persuasive essay, you need to feel passionately about an argument. Having a good prompt and a good issue let’s you do that.

The flip side is that to show you really understand a controversial issue, you have to make an argument about it. A persuasive essay is the perfect summative assessment to see whether a student really understands the issue and can articulate their opinion.

Below, I’ll share a list of 15 persuasive essay topics and writing prompts that you can use with your class. If you scroll down to the bottom, I’ll also wrap up with some other methods and resources that can help you teach these controversial issues and how to write argumentative essays.

List of Persuasive Essay Topics and Writing Prompts

So, without further ado, here’s a list of questions that would make great writing prompts for a persuasive essay.

Should the Government Ban or Regulate Indecency on Television?

This is a controversial issue as old as the airwaves. As long as there’s been radio and television, there have been arguments about what is acceptable and what is obscene.

If you’re studying constitutional law or taking AP U.S. Government, you’re probably familiar with George Carlin and his famous “ Seven Dirty Words ” bit. But for the average student, this persuasive writing topic is still relevant.

Think about the music you hear on the radio. What is bleeped out? Why do we have “dirty” and “clean” versions of hit songs? Why are some television shows allowed to curse, be violent, and have nudity, while others don’t?

You could definitely take this broader topic and make it more specific and timely by relating it to a current hit song or television show that your students are in to.

But however you phrase it, whether or not the government should regulate indecency on television is a great persuasive essay topic.

Should Voters Be Required to Show Identification?

For the last few years, this has been an increasingly hot topic as individual states have moved to implement various forms of voter ID laws. On the face of it, this sounds reasonable, but underneath the surface there are arguments about voter suppression and exclusion.

Is voter fraud a problem that needs to be dealt with? An answer to this question should likely depend on some research about the extent to which people are impersonating voters to enter the voting booth.

What kind of ID should be required? Different types of ID have different requirements to obtain them, and so this choice matters to.

Finally, how do you deal with the potential for discriminatory exclusion? Some people – the elderly, the young, low income – are more likely to not have ID, and for some people it can be a financial burden to secure the documentation necessary to get an ID.

Here’s a great, short NY Times Op-Doc video about the issue, which leans more to the “against” side of voter ID laws .

This ongoing policy debate about Voter ID laws makes for a great argumentative essay topic.

Should Race Be a Factor in Admissions to Universities?

Affirmative action has been a controversial issue for decades. Initially, the debate was over whether or not strict racial quotas were an appropriate way to make up for centuries of discrimination and segregation.

These early forms of affirmative action were struck down by the Supreme Court in Regents of the University of California vs Bakke , but other forms of affirmative action survived. Bakke affirmed that universities could use race as one factor in their admissions, and universities have been trying to strike the proper balance since.

A few years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in again – in Fisher v. University of Texas – and upheld more holistic processes designed to ensure diversity. But in the aftermath of Fisher , a group of students have brought a case against Harvard that is likely destined to find itself at the Supreme Court soon.

Which begs the original question – is it appropriate for a University to use race as a factor in admissions in order to guarantee diversity of its student body?

Should the Government Limit the Amount of Money Spent on Political Campaigns?

The influence of money in politics is another issue that has been fought out in the Supreme Court over the last 50 years. Money in politics is nothing new, and there are plenty examples of its corrupting influence in the early history of the United States.

But since the 1970’s, the federal government has struggled to strike a proper balance between regulation and free speech. Early campaign finance laws sought to restrict spending, and that was ultimately overturned. More recently, McCain-Feingold (aka BCRA) tried to funnel campaign spending into committees that have strict disclosure and contribution regulations.

Much of that came to an end with Citizens United , and since 2010 there has been a renewed surge of “dark” money in politics. So there’s really two parts to this question – a) should there be restrictions on how much money people can contribute and/or spend and b) does the public have a right to know who is contributing money to whom?

One way or another, the question of campaign finance is a great persuasive essay topic.

Should the Government Publicly Finance Campaigns?

Related to the previous question, you might also use this question as an argumentative essay prompt – should the government avoid the influence of money altogether by publicly funding campaigns?

There are some examples to look at. In 1974, the federal government set up a Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and candidates can use it to get matching dollar amounts if they agree to certain restrictions. But since Citizens United , the program has largely fallen out of favor.

New Jersey is one of several states with a public funding option for gubernatorial campaigns, and Arizona and Maine have more comprehensive systems offering public funding for state legislative elections. But these laws have also been challenged in court, and part of Arizona’s public financing law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2011.

A simple version of this persuasive essay topic would focus on whether or not the government should publicly finance campaigns, while a more complex version might touch on how the government could do it in a way that withstood judicial scrutiny.

Should the United States Intervene When Foreign Dictators Use Chemical Weapons on Their Own People?

This is a more narrow version of the general question – should the United States intervene in foreign countries or mind its own business?

In some historical cases – like World War II and the Holocaust – it seems pretty obvious that intervention is a good idea. But in the present moment, it’s a little harder to identify that dividing line.

There have been a number of recent cases along these lines – Syria, Iraq, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Students will likely have a huge range of opinions on the issue, with some being fiercely isolationist and others advocating intervention on the slightest chance of abuse.

This is one of my favorite persuasive essay topics because it links up so directly with a theme that I talk a lot about in class – conflict. Read more about teaching with themes here.

Should the Federal Government Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 per hour?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25, and it’s been there since 2009. With the Fight for $15 movement is gaining steam around the country, this would make a great persuasive writing topic.

What once seemed kind of crazy is slowly becoming more realistic. First, some progressive cities took the lead, like Seattle. Now, some states are following suit – including New Jersey and Illinois.

Of course, there’s still plenty of pushback against this idea and a national minimum wage hike doesn’t seem to be in the cards in the near future. But a student could certainly take a side and stake out an argument – and maybe even send it to their legislature.

This is another one of the persuasive essay topics that relates directly back to a major theme in social studies – this time the theme of economics, and whether or not the economy is fair. Read more here about essential questions related to economics.

Should Congress Require Annual Standardized Tests in Schools?

Here’s another essay topic that’s particularly relevant for students. Every student knows the pain of testing – in fact just this morning, I spent several hours proctoring the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA).

Testing has been around a long time, but the frequency of it increased – and was required nationwide – after the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka “No Child Left Behind”). Congress took another look at the issue with the next reauthorization – the Every Student Succeeds Act – but they ended up leaving the testing mandate alone.

So what do your students think? Ask them and have them write an argumentative essay about it.

You could also put a twist on this question by focusing on the use of tests as an exit requirement. There’s no federal mandate for this, but some states do require students to pass a standardized test to graduate. For older students, this surely a topic about which they’ll have an opinion.

Should the United States Grant Asylum to Refugees?

This is another age old question that has taken on new relevance. From the beginning of its history, the United States took in people who could be considered refugees. Historically, the greatest test of this question may be the Holocaust, and early on the United States failed that test.

You can watch this PBS Frontline episode, Forever Prison , to learn about the plight of Haitian refugees to the United States in the 1990’s. More recently, there are refugees looking to come to the United States from the Middle East and from Latin America. If your students spend any time watching the news, they’ve surely heard something about this.

This topic could revolve around what people are fleeing from. Should we only accept refugees from religious persecution and human rights abuses? What about crime or poverty? Or natural disasters?

It’s a complex question that gets to the heart of the immigration policy debate – and makes a perfect argumentative essay prompt.

Should the Government Have Access to Encrypted Devices and Communications Platforms?

The topic of government surveillance pops up in the news from time to time. Under Bush, there was the warrantless wire-tapping, the use of phone metadata, and the FBI snooping on e-mails.

More recently, this question focuses on access to encrypted communication platforms – like WhatsApp. To your students, these are probably just convenient ways to chat with each other. But to people with security concerns, they’re also a way to make sure that no one is listening in on their conversations.

There could be some good reasons for that. There could also be some bad reasons. Apparently terrorist groups like ISIS have used these encrypted communication platforms to plan attacks, which begs the question – should the government have some kind of backdoor to get in?

Some students will shrug this off and think it’s no big deal, while others will probably react with quite a bit of concern.

Should the Federal Government Permit or Ban the Death Penalty?

This is a good argumentative essay topic to use in conjunction with the Bill of Rights. The Eighth Amendment says no cruel unusual punishment – which should mean no death penalty, right?

Of course, there’s a historical angle to this. The death penalty was widely accepted in 1789, so you can make an argument that the Eighth Amendment doesn’t forbid it.

But there’s also the angle of justice and equity. In the 1970’s, through a series of court cases, the death penalty was deemed arbitrary and capricious – because it tended to be used more against certain offenders (i.e. African Americans).

This led to some reforms, and some states have continued to use the death penalty. Texas is leading the way on that front. Other states, however, have banned it, while others have put a moratorium on executions because of concerns over the method of execution.

Should Hate Speech Be Protected by the First Amendment?

This is another great writing prompt to use with the Bill of Rights, and it’s one that’s sure to elicit strong reaction from your students.

Supreme Court caselaw has held that speech – even hate speech – is protected by the First Amendment. A pivotal case in this vein was Brandenburg v. Ohio . In that case, the Court decided that speech could only be limited if it created an imminent danger, not because it was hateful.

Another way to frame the question is to focus on social media platforms. Recently, Facebook, Twitter, and other companies have come under fire for allowing White Supremacists to share various forms of hate speech on their platforms. One could then make a connection to any number of violent incidents throughout the country (or the world).

So if the government can’t regulate hate speech because of the First Amendment, does a platform like Facebook have an obligation to do so? Great topic for a persuasive essay.

Should the Government Send a Manned Mission to Mars?

I love space, so this question really appeals to me. Fifty years ago, people might have thought JFK was crazy when he planned to send a man to the moon. I’m sure there were plenty of heated debates about that.

Today’s frontier is a bit further away, but is it any more crazy? Sure, there are some technological leaps that need to be taken before it’s possible. But in the early 1960’s, putting a man on the moon may have seemed crazy, too.

But it’s an important question for the space program. What’s next? Back to the moon, on to Mars, or something else? Or should we just hang out on Earth for a while and try to fix what we’ve got here?

Maybe it’s the science fiction fan in me, but I just think this is a great topic to think about. I’d love to see what students would write about this in an argumentative essay.

Should the Federal Government Have to Balance the Budget?

This is a question that should come with a heavy dose of economics and economic policy. But it’s one worth asking. It could also be a good vehicle for teaching some of these concepts that might otherwise seem boring and wonky.

You could also connect this back to history. When you teach about the early years of the nation and Alexander Hamilton’s role as the Secretary of the Treasury, there’s undoubtedly something that comes up about the National Debt. Instead of talking about that in historical isolation, you can connect that today and think about the current federal budget.

This is also back in the news this week, with moderate Democrats (i.e. the Blue Dog Coalition backing a concept that has traditionally been more closely associated with Republicans. Perhaps it’s a blip on the national scene and the topic will fade away, but if it’s in the headlines why not use it as a persuasive essay topic?

Should the Voting Age be Lowered to 16?

We’ll end with this one because it has a direct impact on students. Should teenagers be allowed to vote?

A few years ago, this might have sounded crazy. But over the last few years there have been several municipalities that lowered their voting age to 16. At the federal level, Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced an amendment to a bill on federal election reform that would have lowered the age for participation in Congressional and Presidential elections.

There’s also a historical angle to this question. Once upon a time – not all that long ago – you couldn’t vote at 18. To today’s students it may seem like a fait accompli , but the 26th Amendment that lowered the voting age was less than fifty years ago. At the founding of the country, some states required voters to be as old as 25.

So let students wrestle with this writing prompt in an argumentative essay and put together an argument for (or against) lowering the voting age.

Other Methods and Resources for Teaching Controversial Issues and Persuasive Essays

A big piece of teaching how to write a persuasive essay is the topic, but – especially with controversial issues – it also helps to teach some background about the topics.

One place you can look for resources for these questions is C-SPAN’s Classrooms Deliberations . These are in depth lessons on current policy debates that come scaffolded with C-SPAN videos and other resources. Some of these questions are featured in these Deliberations lessons, and this can be a great place to find the factual resources your students need to write good arguments.

Two other methods that you could think about using with these controversial issues are Take a Stand and A/B Writing . With the Take a Stand activity, students arrange themselves on a continuum based on how they feel about a question. With A/B writing, students choose a statement to agree with and write down their reason for choosing it. Either method is a great way to get students to start thinking about a topic that’s going to turn into a persuasive essay.

Finally, a lot of these issues are things that are debates that are playing out in the country right now. If you follow the news, you’re bound to hear about many of these issues on a weekly basis. Better yet, if you teach current events on a regular basis in your class, you can have your students relate what they’ve learned in the news to these essays. Here are some resources on how to use CNN10 to teach current events in your class .

Which Issue Have You Used From These Persuasive Essay Topics?

Have you used one of these topics in your class? How did you students respond?

Do you have another controversial issue that you’ve used as a topic for a persuasive essay? What was it?

Drop a line in the comment below and share with our readers.

1 comments on “15 Persuasive Essay Topics About Controversial Issues”

Anna H. Smith
November 27, 2020

I really appreciate this website. I have learned some inciteful writing information. I feel strongly that I can go forward with the information that I have gained from this post. Great persuasive controversial essays you have shared. Thanks very much.

Debate Topics

Need to write an argumentative essay? Preparing for an upcoming debate? ProCon.org has over 100 topics complete with pro and con arguments, quotes and statistics from experts, historical information, and other pertinent research.

Abortion – Should abortion be legal?

Alternative Energy – Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?

American Socialism – Should the U.S. become socialist?

Animal Dissection – Should K-12 students dissect animals in science classrooms?

Animal Testing – Should animals be used for scientific or commercial testing?

Artificial Intelligence – Is artificial intelligence good for society?

Banned Books – Should parents or other adults be able to ban books from schools and libraries?

Binge-Watching – Is binge-watching good for you?

Cancel Culture – Is cancel culture (or callout culture) good for society?

CBD for Pets – Is CBD good for pets?

Cell Phone Radiation – Is cell phone radiation safe?

Cheerleading – Is cheerleading a sport?

Churches & Taxes – Should churches (including mosques, synagogues, etc.) remain tax-exempt?

College Education – Is a college education worth it?

Congressional Term Limits – Should term limits be imposed on U.S. Senators and Representatives?

Constitutional Carry of Handguns – Should permitless, “constitutional carry” of guns be legal?

Corporal Punishment – Should corporal punishment be used in K-12 schools?

Corporate Tax Rate – Should the federal corporate income tax rate be raised?

Cuba Embargo – Should the United States maintain its embargo against Cuba?

DACA & Dreamers – Are DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the DREAM Act good for America?

Daylight Saving Time – Should the United States keep daylight saving time?

DC AND Puerto Rico Statehood – Should Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico be granted U.S. statehood?

Death Penalty – Should the death penalty be legal?

Defund the Police – Should police departments be defunded, if not abolished?

Dress Codes – Should dress codes be implemented and enforced?

Drinking Age – Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?

Drone Strikes – Should the United States continue its use of drone strikes abroad?

Drug Use in Sports – Should performance-enhancing drugs be accepted in sports?

Election Day National Holiday – Should the election day be made a national holiday?

Electoral College – Should the United States use the electoral college in presidential elections?

Employer Vaccine Mandates – Should employers be able to mandate vaccinations?

Felon Voting – Should people who have completed felony sentences be allowed to vote?

Fighting in Hockey – Should fighting be allowed in hockey?

Filibuster – Should the U.S. Senate keep the filibuster?

Fracking – Should the United States continue fracking

Free College – Should public college be tuition-free?

Fur Clothing Bans – Should fur clothing be banned?

GMOS – Should genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be grown?

Gold Standard – Should the United States return to a gold standard?

Golf – Is golf a sport and are golfers athletes?

Gun Control – Should more gun control laws be enacted?

Historic Statue Removal – Should historic statues be taken down?

Homework – Is homework beneficial?

Illegal Immigration – Should the U.S. government provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?

Internet – Is the internet “making us stupid?”

Kneeling during the National Anthem – Is kneeling during the national anthem an appropriate form of protest?

Mandatory National Service – Should the United States have mandatory national service?

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) – Should medical aid in dying be legal?

Medical Marijuana – Should medical marijuana be legal?

Milk – Should humans consume dairy milk?

Minimum Wage – Should the federal minimum wage be increased?

Net Neutrality – Should the U.S. have net neutrality laws?

Obesity – Is obesity a disease?

Olympics – Are the Olympic games an overall benefit for their host countries and cities?

OTC Birth Control Pills – Should birth control pills be available over-the-counter (OTC)?

Penny – Should the penny stay in circulation?

Pit Bull Bans – Should breed-specific legislation (“pit bull bans”) be enacted?

Pokémon – Is Pokémon Go good for our society?

Police Body Cameras – Should police officers wear body cameras?

Prescription Drug Costs – Should the U.S. federal government regulate prescription drug prices?

Presidential Election, 2024 – 2024 Presidential Election Site

Private Prisons – Should prisons be privatized?

Recreational Marijuana – Should recreational marijuana be legal?

Reparations for Slavery – Should the federal government pay reparations to the descendants of slaves?

Right to Healthcare – Should all Americans have the right (be entitled) to health care?

Sanctuary Cities – Should sanctuary cities receive federal funding?

Santa Claus – Is there really a Santa Claus?

Saturday Halloween – Should Halloween be moved permanently to Saturday?

School Uniforms – Should students have to wear school uniforms?

Single-use Plastics Ban – Should single-use plastics be banned?

Social Media & Digital Addiction – Does social media spur digital addiction and other social ills?

Social Security Privatization – Should social security be privatized?

Space Colonization – Should humans colonize space?

Standardized Tests – Do standardized tests improve education in America?

Student Loan Debt – Should student loan debt be eliminated via forgiveness or bankruptcy?

TikTok Bans – Should TikTok be banned?

Uber & Lyft – Are ride-sharing companies a benefit to society?

Universal Basic Income (UBI) – Should the United States implement a universal basic income?

U.S. Supreme Court Packing – Should packing the U.S. Supreme Court ever be considered?

Vaccines for Kids – Should states be allowed to mandate vaccines for school attendance??

Vaping E-Cigarettes – Is vaping e-cigarettes safe?

Vegetarianism – Should people become vegetarian?

Video Games & Violence – Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?

Voting Age – Should the voting age be lowered to 16?

Voting Machines – Are electronic voting machines the best method for voting?

Zoos – Should zoos exist?

Archived Topics

Please note that ProCon no longer updates these debates.

ACLU – Is the ACLU good for America?

Big Three Bailout – Should the big three car manufacturers be bailed out by the U.S. government?

Born Gay – Is sexual orientation determined at birth?

Climate Change – Is human activity primarily responsible for global climate change?

College Football Playoffs – Should college football replace the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) with a playoff system?

Dakota Access Pipeline – Should the Dakota Access Pipeline be completed?

D.A.R.E. – Is the D.A.R.E. program good for America’s kids (K-12)?

Gay Marriage – Should gay marriage be legal?

Congressional Insider Trading – Should insider trading by Congress be allowed?

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – What are the solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Obamacare – Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) good for America?

Paying College Athletes – Should colleges and universities pay college athletes?

President Bill Clinton – Was Bill Clinton a good president?

President Ronald Reagan – Was Ronald Reagan a good president?

Presidential Election, 2008 – Which candidate would make the best U.S. president?

Presidential Election, 2012 – Which candidate should be U.S. president in 2012?

Presidential Election, 2016 – The candidates and where they stand on the issues

Presidential Election, 2020 – 2020 Presidential Election Site

Prostitution – Should prostitution be legal?

School Vouchers – Should states have school voucher programs?

Tablets v. Textbooks -Should tablets replace textbooks in K-12 schools?

Teacher Tenure – Should teachers get tenure?

Under God in the Pledge – Should the words “under god” be in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance?

U.S. Drone Shot down by Iran – Was the U.S. drone shot down by Iran over international waters?

U.S.-Iraq War – Should the U.S. have attacked Iraq?

WTC Muslim Center – Is it appropriate to build a muslim community center (aka the ”ground zero mosque”) near the World Trade Center site?

ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA

Natalie Leppard Managing Editor [email protected]

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130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Questions on everything from mental health and sports to video games and dating. Which ones inspire you to take a stand?

By The Learning Network

Note: We have an updated version of this list, with 300 new argumentative writing prompts .

What issues do you care most about? What topics do you find yourself discussing passionately, whether online, at the dinner table, in the classroom or with your friends?

In Unit 5 of our free yearlong writing curriculum and related Student Editorial Contest , we invite students to research and write about the issues that matter to them, whether that’s Shakespeare , health care , standardized testing or being messy .

But with so many possibilities, where does one even begin? Try our student writing prompts.

In 2017, we compiled a list of 401 argumentative writing prompts , all drawn from our daily Student Opinion column . Now, we’re rounding up 130 more we’ve published since then ( available here as a PDF ). Each prompt links to a free Times article as well as additional subquestions that can help you think more deeply about it.

You might use this list to inspire your own writing and to find links to reliable resources about the issues that intrigue you. But even if you’re not participating in our contest, you can use these prompts to practice the kind of low-stakes writing that can help you hone your argumentation skills.

So scroll through the list below with questions on everything from sports and mental health to dating and video games and see which ones inspire you to take a stand.

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100 Engaging Controversial Essay Topics

When students are asked to write an argumentative paper, they start with looking for controversial argumentative essay topics. It’s a good decision: if you succeed in finding something great to write about, you stand more chances at getting a satisfying grade. But despite knowing this, making a choice is not easy. For one thing, you should have a clear idea of what a controversial essay even is. It is a genre of writing where you present an opinion others could dispute and prove its validity as well as accuracy. In other words, you pick a subject that causes arguments among society members, voice your point of view, and work hard to prove it by relying on scientific evidence.

In the long run, you’ll benefit from completing a fair number of similar essays: you’ll understand what it takes to participate in debates and how to defend your position. The choice of topic is tough since while there are many potentially interesting things to discuss, only some of them will be to your liking, and even fewer will be something you understand well enough to argue about. We’ll be glad to show you how to approach the choosing process and how to settle on the best theme possible.

How to Pick Controversial Argumentative Essay Topics for College

At times, students are given a list from which they should pick their essay topics. This is a frustrating experience since they don’t get a right to really choose the topic they like. But fortunately, it doesn’t happen often, so if you are studying at college, you can expect to be given a free reign. Four tips below will show you how to go about picking an essay topic for a controversial paper.

Go through things you find engaging. Good controversial topics for essays are the ones that evoke some intense feelings in you. They could be positive or negative, but in any way, they should be something that makes you want to speak up. Recall the arguments you had online or with your friends and family recently. Maybe you saw something in the news and got angry? Did you read an article that got you passionate about the discussed topic? It could be anything, so think carefully.
Play a choosing game. If you have some essay ideas in mind but cannot settle on any of them, try a choosing game. This could also work in case you haven’t decided on anything at all yet. Pick a place, sit there, and note down everything you see or hear. Assign numbers to these things, and then ask a friend to choose one. Such an approach is fun, and it’s an easy way to arrive at a decision regarding your topic.
Check sources. When preparing for essay tasks, your first question should be, what are some controversial topics to write about? The second question should concern sources. Whatever subject you selected, it should be supported by credible resources that are peer-reviewed and have a DOI. Having an opposing position could be great, but if you are the only person who shares it, it’ll create some difficulties. Academic essays should be supported with some evidence, so your analysis cannot be performed merely based on your opinions. If you cannot locate trustworthy sources, better choose another topic.
Discuss with the supervisor. Once you made a decision, consult with your professor. They could give you valuable advice or warn you against some topics. If you are moving in the wrong direction, they will let you know in advance so that you wouldn’t waste your time for no reason.

100 Top Controversial Topics to Write About

There are many classical ways of choosing between topics on debatable issues, but with the evolution of the Internet, things have become much easier. You can search for online lists with suggestions, and they’ll give you the inspiration you need. We prepared this kind of list just below. There are ten popular topic categories there, with ten diverse themes in each. Take whichever you like best!

Controversial Essay Ideas on Education

Here are some traditional controversial argument topics related to education. All students will likely find them relatable!

Education Gained in the US Has Lost Its Prestige
The Importance of Doing Homework Diligently Is Overestimated
Education Has become Redundant Today Because You Can Find a Job Anyway
Governments & Universities Should Pay Full Tuition For All Their Students
Physical Punishments for Children and Animals Should Be Made a Crime
Minors Should Have the Right for Purchasing Condoms
Children Should Be Taught About Different Kinds of Sexuality From Early Age
Parents Should Never Supervise Their Children’s Online Actions
No Student Should Ever Be Expelled From Educational Establishments
Competitions Among Students Encourage Hurt and Feeling of Inadequacy

Controversial Essay Prompts on Technology

Technological progress has changed our lives to a profound extent. These controversial persuasive essay topics reflect this.

iPhone Is an Uncomfortable and Highly Overrated Phone
Cloning Must Be Provided for Acceptable Prices to Grieving Families
Drones Could Be Used for Turning Wars into Soldier-less Fights
Wi-Fi Has Many Serious Drawbacks & Should Be Used with Care
Youth Depend on Technology Too Much & Become Helpless in the Process
No One Should Be Punished for Saying Anything Online
GPS Poses Serious Threats to Privacy & Safety
Most Surveillance Cameras Should Have Better Level of Quality
Internet Helped Queer Community Meet New People
Cancer Rates Have Increased Due to Technological Developments

Controversial Topics for Philosophy Essay

Philosophy is a dreamy but also precise science, so you could find some good controversial topics to write about here.

Some Universal Truths Are Actually Falsehoods
We Underestimate Philosophy Because We’re Scared of Its Truth
Existentialism Is Caused By Flawed Social Expectations
Feminism Has Turned Into a Movement of Violence & Bigotry
Some Problems Do Not Have Any Resolution
Not All Mysteries Should Be Solved by Humans
Every Person Should Be Allowed to Rebel Against Government
Being Loved Is More Important Than Loving
Emotions Could Be Hindrance to Having Successful Life
Animals Do Not Differ From Human Beings In Any Relevant Aspects

Controversial Essays Ideas About Environment

Environment is a sphere that always fuels fierce debates. There is a big number of great controversial arguments topics here.

Humans Should Be Forbidden to Eat Animals
Recycling Must Be an Obligatory Part Of Every Person’s Life
No Country Could Be Allowed to Have Nuclear Weapon
People Who Actively Work to Protect Environment Should Receive Money For It
Companies Who Break Environmental Laws Should Be Stopped from Operating
Current Air Quality in Big Cities Is Unacceptably Bad & This Issue Must Be Resolved
Alternative Fuels In Their Current State Are Not Effective
Deserts Should Be Forcefully Turned Green Areas
Global Warming Is More Dangerous Than We Believe
Preventing Pollution Under Current Conditions Is Not Realistic

Science, Biology, and Health Topics

When writing controversial topics essay, these days, scientific and medical spheres are definitely among the most popular ones.

Assisted Suicide Must Be Officially Permitted in All Countries
Deadliness of COVID Is Overstated
Food Created With Science Is More Useful Than Natural Food
Some Illnesses Will Never Be Cured
People Producing & Selling Alcoholic Beverages Must Be Imprisoned
Biology Should Be Taught in All Schools From the First Year
Eugenics Should Not Exist for Perfecting People
GMO Is Not As Dangerous as We’re Led to Believe
Fish Can Feel Emotional Attachment to Their Owners
Science Is Not as Precise as We Think

Religious environment is relevant for many people, so it has plenty of controversial argumentative essay ideas.

The Fact of Life Existing After Death Could Be Proven Scientifically
Idea of Humans Evolving From Animals Is Not Sustainable
Religion Kills More People Than It Saves
Bible Has Been Written by Multiple Individuals
People Should Be Allowed to Pray to Whichever God They Believe In
Religion Is Not Based on Science
Faith Is the Most Important Part of Life
Violence Promoted by Religions Should Partly Discredit Them
Words of Prayers Do Not Matter: Only Feelings Behind Them Do
Stereotypes About Religions Unleash Violence Among People

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Controversial Essays Topics for Law and Politics

Controversial writing topics about justice and politics never end, considering how passionate everyone feels about them. Everyone wants the best for their country, so why not explore ways of achieving this in an essay?

Death Penalty In Its Present Form Is Useless
Death Penalty Is a Useful Method of Fight Against Human Monsters
Multiculturalism Fuels Tolerance in the Society
American Women Have Equal Opportunities with Men
Electronic Voting Is Ineffective: Too Much Cheating
Gun Control Is Not as Relevant as It Is Presented
Free Journalism No Longer Exists
Racist Allegations Are Often Exaggerated
Hate Crimes Should Automatically Receive Death Penalty
Presidents Who Allow Wars to Break Out Must Be Removed from Power

Current Events

The world is constantly undergoing changes, so unique controversial essay topics about it are in perpetual supply.

Amount of Taxes People Pay Does Not Correspond to Benefits They Get
Concept of Fashion Is Invented Solely by People
Trump Should Have Never Been a President in US
Trump Brought Positive Changes to Some Parts of the World
World Has Become Too Demanding & Unfair to Still Live in It
Mental Health Therapy Should Receive Additional Funding Due to COVID Impacts
Quarantine Measures Should Be the Same in All Parts of the World
People Should Be More Caring In These Difficult Times
Food Should Be Made Free During COVID
Rich & Poor People Should Be Treated in Equal Conditions

Prompts on Entertainment

How about some fun and easy controversial topics about things that work as distractions from everyday worries?

Violent Games Do Not Affect People Playing Them Negatively
Modern Ads Could Be a Form of Art
Fiction Is the Best Way to Distract Yourself From Troubles
Media Should Be Regulated More Strictly
Having Fun Is Essential for Mental Health
Modern Entertainments Are Dangerous & Should Be Modified
Nobody Falls In Love at the First Sight
Entertainment Is Not to Blame For People Becoming Addicted
Reality Shows Create Impossible Expectations
Home Alone Is Still an Excellent Movie

Controversial Essay Ideas For College Students

College essays are more complex than those in high school, but they are also easier than those at universities. If you are a college student, take a look at these good controversial essay topics.

Teenagers Should Be Allowed to Work Whenever They Want
Teens Should Not Be the Ones Paying for Their Education
College Students Do Not Need Cars Because They Are Not Prepared to Drive Them
Internet Addiction Is a Myth in Most Cases
Students Should Not Expect That They Will Find Love in College
Gender Expectations Among Students Are Not Equal
Serving the Military Is Romanticized to a Dangerous Degree
Sororities and Fraternities Must Be Forbidden in the US
Polygamy Is Vastly Misunderstood in Modern Society
Love is Portrayed in Harmful Ways in Fiction

Controversial Essay Topic Ideas to Transform Your Writing

As you can see, topics are vital. You should pay extra attention when choosing them because your final success depends on it. Take your time and think carefully. In case nothing comes to your mind right away, try utilizing the tips we offered above. Still, we understand that writing is a tricky process that could be frustratingly difficult. If you have any questions, contact our support team via our website. They’ll be happy to help you with your problems! Whether you’d like us to guide you or write an essay in its entirety, we can do that. Drop a message and tell us what needs to be done. Your unique controversial essay on an original topic will be delivered on time.

Can’t come up with a topic for you paper? We’ve prepared a collection of essay topics for you

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100+ Controversial Persuasive Essay Topics to Challenge Your Thinking

Looking for a persuasive essay topic that will spark debate and inspire critical thinking? Check out our list of 100+ controversial persuasive essay topics for thought-provoking ideas.

Persuasive essays are an important tool for students to develop critical thinking and communication skills. When writing a persuasive essay, it is essential to choose a topic that is not only relevant but also controversial. Controversial topics often lead to lively debates and discussions, which can challenge our assumptions and help us see issues from different perspectives.

In this article, we have compiled a list of 100+ controversial persuasive essay topics to help students find the perfect topic for their next assignment. From hot-button political issues to ethical dilemmas, these topics are sure to spark debate and inspire critical thinking.

Controversial essay topics for college students

So, whether you’re a high school student or a college student, read on for our list of,

Table of Contents

100+ Controversial Persuasive Essay Topics.

Should euthanasia be legalized?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should marijuana be legalized for medicinal purposes?
Should prostitution be legalized?
Should animal testing be banned?
Should the drinking age be lowered?
Should the United States switch to a single-payer healthcare system?
Should college athletes be paid?
Should affirmative action be abolished?
Should standardized testing be eliminated?
Should the United States adopt a flat tax system?
Should the Electoral College be abolished?
Should the United States have universal background checks for gun ownership?
Should genetically modified foods be labeled?
Should parents be allowed to choose their child’s gender?
Should school prayer be allowed?
Should the United States have a national minimum wage?
Should the government regulate social media?
Should the United States have free college tuition?
Should the United States have stricter immigration policies?
Should the United States have mandatory military service?
Should the government regulate the size of sugary drinks?
Should private prisons be abolished?
Should the United States have a carbon tax?
Should the United States have a universal basic income?
Should the government provide free internet access?
Should the United States have term limits for Congress?
Should the government regulate the sale of violent video games ?
Should the United States withdraw from the United Nations?
Should the government regulate the sale of energy drinks?
Should the United States increase its military spending?
Should schools ban junk food ?
Should the government regulate the sale of tobacco products?
Should the United States adopt a gun buyback program?
Should parents be required to vaccinate their children?
Should the United States adopt a national healthcare system?
Should schools require students to wear uniforms?
Should the United States have a space program?
Should the government regulate the sale of sugary snacks?
Should the United States have a mandatory voting law?
Should the government regulate the sale of alcohol?
Should the United States have a mandatory retirement age?
Should schools have metal detectors?
Should the government regulate the sale of firearms?
Should the United States have a national ID card system?
Should schools have armed security guards?
Should the government regulate the sale of prescription drugs?
Should the United States adopt a merit-based immigration system?
Should schools have mandatory drug testing for students?
Should the government regulate the sale of e-cigarettes?
Should the United States adopt a national bike-sharing program?
Should schools have mandatory sex education classes?
Should governments ban single-use plastics?
Is veganism the only ethical way to eat?
Should animal testing be allowed for medical purposes?
Is it ethical to genetically modify crops?
Should there be stricter gun control laws?
Is capital punishment effective in deterring crime?
Should prisoners have the right to vote?
Is censorship in art and media necessary?
Should children be allowed to undergo gender reassignment therapy?
Should the government provide free healthcare for all?
Is there a place for affirmative action in hiring and education?
Should schools teach creationism alongside evolution?
Should parents be allowed to homeschool their children without regulation?
Is cultural appropriation ever acceptable?
Should hate speech be protected under free speech laws?
Is prostitution a victimless crime?
Should the drinking age be lowered or raised?
Should college athletes be paid for their performance?
Is online privacy a basic human right?
Should the death penalty be abolished worldwide?
Is the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports ethical?
Should the government regulate the use of social media?
Is surveillance necessary for national security?
Should there be limits on the number of children a couple can have?
Should nuclear weapons be banned worldwide?
Should the government regulate the sale and consumption of sugary drinks?
Should assisted suicide be legal?
Should parents have the right to choose the gender of their baby through genetic engineering?
Should zoos be banned for animal rights concerns?
Should recreational marijuana use be legalized?
Should the government fund space exploration?
Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
Should individuals be allowed to own exotic pets?
Should hate groups be allowed to gather and protest?
Should there be a limit on CEO pay?
Should polygamy be legalized?
Should the use of plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes be banned?
Should the government regulate the fast food industry?
Should assisted reproductive technologies be available to all?
Should there be a limit on the number of hours worked per week?
Should there be a global ban on animal testing for cosmetic products?
Should vaccinations be mandatory?
Should the sale of alcohol be banned?
Should S education be mandatory in schools?
Should the government fund renewable energy sources?
Should the use of drones be regulated by the government?
Should the government regulate the use of artificial intelligence?
Should beauty pageants be banned?
Should free speech be restricted on college campuses?
Should public schools have a dress code?
Should the government regulate the use of social media algorithms?
Should there be a limit on how much money individuals can donate to political campaigns?
Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?
Should Confederate monuments be removed?
Should the government provide free college education for all?
Should the United States switch to a four-day workweek?
Should professional athletes be required to stand for the national anthem?
Should animal agriculture be banned for environmental concerns?
Should there be a tax on sugary drinks?
Should the government regulate the use of drones for commercial purposes?
Should the use of fur in fashion be banned?
Should there be a ban on single-use plastics?
Should the United States switch to a system of ranked-choice voting?
Should the government provide universal basic income?
Should the use of public transportation be free?

In conclusion, persuasive essays are an effective way to communicate ideas and influence others’ opinions. Writing a persuasive essay requires choosing the right topic that interests you, and you feel passionate about. Hopefully, this list of 100+ controversial persuasive essay topics has inspired you to select a topic that is thought-provoking, interesting, and engaging. Remember, when writing a persuasive essay, it’s essential to do thorough research, present both sides of the argument, and provide evidence to support your position. With these tips in mind, you’re ready to start writing your persuasive essay on a controversial topic!

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

65+ Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School Students

100 Persuasive Essay Topics

M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Persuasive essays are a bit like argument essays , but they tend to be a little kinder and gentler. Argument essays require you to discuss and attack an alternate view, while persuasive essays attempt to convince the reader that you have a believable argument. In other words, you are an advocate, not an adversary.

Writing a compelling persuasive essay requires you to select a topic that ideally stirs your readers' emotions. Before settling on a subject, explore some options to find one that helps craft the strongest and most engaging argument.

Below is a list of potential persuasive essay topics to spark your brainstorming process. You can choose a topic from this list or use it as inspiration to develop an idea of your own.

Main Components of a Persuasive Essay

Introduction : This is the opening paragraph of your essay. It contains the hook , which is used to grab the reader's attention, and the thesis , or argument, which you'll explain in the next section.
Body : This is the heart of your essay, usually three to five paragraphs in length. Each paragraph examines one theme or issue used to support your thesis.
Conclusion : This is the final paragraph of your essay. In it, you'll sum up the main points of the body and connect them to your thesis. Persuasive essays often use the conclusion as a final appeal to the audience.

Learning how to write a persuasive essay is an essential skill people use every day in fields from business to law to media and entertainment. English students can begin writing a persuasive essay at any skill level. You'll surely find a sample topic or two from the list of 100 persuasive essays below, sorted by degree of difficulty.

Watch Now: 12 Ideas for Great Persuasive Essay Topics

Beginner topics.

Kids should get paid for good grades.
Students should have less homework.
Snow days are great for family time.
Penmanship is important.
Short hair is better than long hair.
We should all grow our own vegetables.
We need more holidays.
Aliens probably exist.
Gym class is more important than music class.
Kids should be able to vote.
Kids should get paid for extra activities like sports.
School should take place in the evenings.
Country life is better than city life.
City life is better than country life.
We can change the world.
Skateboard helmets should be mandatory.
We should provide food for the poor.
Children should be paid for doing chores.
We should populate the moon .
Dogs make better pets than cats.

Intermediate Topics

The government should impose household trash limits.
Nuclear weapons are an effective deterrent against foreign attack.
Teens should be required to take parenting classes.
We should teach etiquette in schools.
School uniform laws are unconstitutional.
All students should wear uniforms.
Too much money is a bad thing.
High schools should offer specialized degrees in arts or sciences.
Magazine advertisements send unhealthy signals to young women.
Robocalling should be outlawed.
Age 12 is too young to babysit.
Children should be required to read more.
All students should be allowed to study abroad.
Yearly driving tests should be mandatory past age 65.
Cell phones should never be used while driving.
All schools should implement bullying awareness programs.
Bullies should be kicked out of school.
Parents of bullies should have to pay a fine.
The school year should be longer.
School days should start later.
Teens should be able to choose their bedtime.
There should be a mandatory entrance exam for high school.
Public transit should be privatized.
We should allow pets in school.
The voting age should be lowered to 16.
Beauty contests are bad for body image.
Every American should learn to speak Spanish.
Every immigrant should learn to speak English.
Video games can be educational.
College athletes should be paid for their services.
We need a military draft .
Professional sports should eliminate cheerleaders.
Teens should be able to start driving at 14 instead of 16.
Year-round school is a bad idea.
High school campuses should be guarded by police officers.
The legal drinking age should be lowered to 19.
Kids under 15 shouldn't have Facebook pages.
Standardized testing should be eliminated.
Teachers should be paid more.
There should be one world currency.

Advanced Topics

Domestic surveillance without a warrant should be legal.
Letter grades should be replaced with a pass or fail.
Every family should have a natural disaster survival plan.
Parents should talk to kids about drugs at a young age.
Racial slurs should be illegal.
Gun ownership should be tightly regulated.
Puerto Rico should be granted statehood.
People should go to jail when they abandon their pets.
Free speech should have limitations.
Members of Congress should be subject to term limits.
Recycling should be mandatory for everyone.
High-speed internet access should be regulated like a public utility.
Yearly driving tests should be mandatory for the first five years after getting a license.
Recreational marijuana should be made legal nationwide.
Legal marijuana should be taxed and regulated like tobacco or alcohol.
Child support dodgers should go to jail.
Students should be allowed to pray in school.
All Americans have a constitutional right to health care.
Internet access should be free for everyone.
Social Security should be privatized.
Pregnant couples should receive parenting lessons.
We shouldn't use products made from animals.
Celebrities should have more privacy rights.
Professional football is too violent and should be banned.
We need better sex education in schools.
School testing is not effective.
The United States should build a border wall with Mexico and Canada.
Life is better than it was 50 years ago.
Eating meat is unethical.
A vegan diet is the only diet people should follow.
Medical testing on animals should be illegal.
The Electoral College is outdated.
Medical testing on animals is necessary.
Public safety is more important than an individual's right to privacy.
Single-sex colleges provide a better education.
Books should never be banned.
Violent video games can cause people to act violently in real life.
Freedom of religion has limitations.
Nuclear power should be illegal.
Climate change should be the president's primary political concern.

Key Takeaways

Persuasive essays aim to convince rather than confront, effectively making you advocate for a position or idea.
Choosing a compelling topic that evokes emotions is crucial for crafting a strong persuasive essay.
The main parts of a persuasive essay are the introduction (with a hook and thesis), body paragraphs (explaining themes supporting the thesis), and conclusion (summarizing main points and making a final appeal).

Hamilton College. " Writing a Persuasive Essay ."

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113 Perfect Persuasive Essay Topics for Any Assignment

General Education

Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help!

Read on for a list of 113 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint.

Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument.

All persuasive essays have the following:

Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis.
Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is.
Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph.
Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone.
Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about.

It’s a Topic You Care About

Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic.

You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument

Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay.

For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position).

It’s a Manageable Topic

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible.

List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, “should fracking be legal?” you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you.

Arts/Culture

Should students be required to learn an instrument in school?
Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series?
Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness?
With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete?
Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be?
Should music with offensive language come with a warning label?
What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit?
Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school?
Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people?
Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes?
Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy?
Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth?
Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant?
Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs?
Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven?
Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead?
Should students learn cursive writing in school?
Which is more important: PE class or music class?
Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year?
Should class rank be abolished in schools?
Should students be taught sex education in school?
Should students be able to attend public universities for free?
What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies?
Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence?
Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language?
Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives?
Does doing homework actually help students learn more?
Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams?
Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools?
What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school?
Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions?
Should there be limits to free speech?
Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school?
Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote?
Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated?
Should recycling be made mandatory?
Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents?
Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed?
Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons?
Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
Does making abortion illegal make women more or less safe?
Does foreign aid actually help developing countries?
Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed?
Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children?

Government/Politics

Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same?
Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood?
Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico?
Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes?
Should the United States’ military budget be reduced?
Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country?
Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship?
Is national security more important than individual privacy?
What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people?
Should the electoral college be abolished?
Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year?
Should privately-run prisons be abolished?
Who was the most/least effective US president?
Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK?

What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola?
Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight?
Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly?
Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated?
Is eating genetically modified food safe?
What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable?
What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate?
Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide?
Should birth control pills be available without a prescription?
Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol?
Why has anxiety increased in adolescents?
Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
What caused the destruction of the USS Maine?
Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king?
Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII?
What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide?
What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony?
Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War?
What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle?
Should nuclear power be banned?
Is scientific testing on animals necessary?
Do zoos help or harm animals?
Should scientists be allowed to clone humans?
Should animals in circuses be banned?
Should fracking be legal?
Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa?
What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming?
Should euthanasia be legalized?
Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life?
Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds?
Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration?
Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy?
Is solar energy worth the cost?
Should stem cells be used in medicine?
Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement?
Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport?
Should college athletes receive a salary?
Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players?
Do PE classes help students stay in shape?
Should horse racing be banned?
Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football?
Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it?
Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools?
Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life?
Should facial recognition technology be banned?
Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety?
Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete?
Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer?
Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age?
Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society?
Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society?
Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users?
Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide?

Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay

After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay.

Do Your Research

Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes.

Make Your Thesis Perfect

Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis.

Consider the Other Side

You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced.

Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas

Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 113 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay.

After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing:

Do your research
Make your thesis perfect
Consider the other side

What's Next?

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Persuasive Essay Writing

Persuasive Essay Topics

Easy and Unique Persuasive Essay Topics with Tips

15 min read

Published on: Jan 4, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 29, 2024

Unique Persuasive Essay Topics for Students

Writing a persuasive essay can be quite an interesting task for students. It allows them to showcase their research and analytic skills and present their thoughts orderly.

Choosing the right topic is key to making the writing process more enjoyable.

Here are some great ideas that you can use for your essay:

Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School

Should students be required to wear uniforms in school?
What are the benefits of a longer school day?
How can technology help improve student engagement and learning?
Is it important for all schools to have equal access to resources?
Should physical education be mandatory in all schools?
How can schools better prepare students for entering the job market?
Should a studentâs grade be based solely on test performance?
Is it important to limit screen time, or should there not be restrictions?
Should recess time be increased or decreased in school?
Is it beneficial for students to take part in after-school activities?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 6

Should school lunch prices be lowered to make it more accessible for all students?
Is there an argument for allowing cell phone usage in the classroom?
Should schools offer a wider variety of electives?
Is there a persuasive case for requiring physical education classes in elementary and middle schools?
Should students be allowed to opt-out of standardized testing?
Is the current homework load for elementary and middle school students too much?
Should school provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of financial status?
Should sixth-grade classes have more field trips and outdoor activities?
Should students have access to more technology in the classroom?
Is there an argument for making recess mandatory for all grade levels?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 7

Should schools have a dress code?
Should students be required to do community service projects to graduate?
Is it necessary for all student-athletes to take mandatory drug tests?
Are the current laws on gun control sufficient enough?
Should same-sex marriage be legal?
Should teenage drivers be allowed to have passengers in their cars?
Is standardized testing an effective measure of student success?
Should homework be abolished in schools?
Should young children be allowed to use mobile phones or tablets at school?
Are video games too violent for young children?

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Persuasive Essay Topics for High School

Should physical education classes be mandatory in high school?
Is a strict dress code necessary for student success?
Are standardized tests an effective measure of student achievement?
Does social media have a positive or negative impact on teenagers?
Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?
Should cell phones be prohibited in the classroom?
Should schools offer fast food options like McDonald's or Taco Bell?
Is competitive sports necessary for a well-rounded education?
Are after-school activities essential to a studentâs development?
Should students be allowed to choose their classes?

Persuasive Essay Topics for College

Should universities require all students to take at least one course in diversity studies?
Should universities implement free speech zones on campuses?
Should college athletes be paid for their performance?
Is it ethical for employers to ask about an applicantâs criminal history during the hiring process?
Should college students be required to take a foreign language course?
Should the US government provide free tuition for all qualifying students?
Is it ethical to use animals in scientific research?
Are standardized tests an adequate measure of academic aptitude and ability?
Should paper textbooks be replaced with e-books?
Should all students be required to learn coding and computer science in school?

Persuasive Essay Topics for University

Should universities offer free tuition to all students?
Are special scholarships beneficial for university students?
Should college athletes be paid for their services?
Is it important for universities to provide mental health resources to their students?
How can universities help prevent cheating and plagiarism among students?
Should universities be required to provide online courses?
Are university degree requirements outdated and irrelevant?
Is it necessary for university students to take physical education classes?
Does the presence of social media in academia positively or negatively impact learning?
Should universities prioritize research over teaching?

Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics from Different Fields

When choosing essay topics, there is no shortage of interesting persuasive essay topics from different fields available.

Here are some examples of interesting persuasive essay topics from different fields:

Arts & Culture

Should museums be more inclusive of diverse cultures?
Should the government fund public art programs?
Are comic books an important form of literature?
Does graffiti have any value as an art form?
Is the traditional concept of beauty outdated in todayâs society?
Is it important for the public to have access to art galleries and museums?
Do modern movies have any real artistic value?
Are video games a form of art?
Should government funding be given to the performing arts?
Does the music industry put too much emphasis on image rather than talent?
Should governments guarantee a minimum wage?
Should the government subsidize green energy projects?
Is it necessary to introduce higher taxes on wealthy people?
Are free trade agreements beneficial or detrimental to developing countries?
Can economic growth be sustained without harming the environment?
Is immigration beneficial or detrimental to a countryâs economic growth?
Should governments limit the size of banks and financial institutions?
Is it necessary for countries to regulate their currency markets?
Should governments invest in renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels?
Should high officials pay more taxes?
Should students be required to complete a certain number of community service hours to graduate?
Should school uniforms be mandatory for all public schools?
Are textbooks becoming obsolete due to technological advances?
Should the education system focus more on practical subjects such as coding and programming?
Is the current grading system in public schools fair and effective?
Is homeschooling a viable alternative to traditional schooling?
Should standardized testing be abolished from the education system?
Should teachers receive bonuses for good performance in the classroom?
Are students more likely to succeed if they attend a private school or university?
Should all students have access to free college tuition?
Is using animals in medical research ethical?
Should parents be allowed to choose their childâs gender?
Should companies be held responsible for the pollution they create?
Are businesses obligated to act ethically when conducting business abroad?
Is it ethical to censor content on the internet?
Should the government enforce stricter regulations on genetically modified food?
Is it ethical to use artificial intelligence in decision-making processes?
Should corporations be allowed to have their own private security forces?
Are restrictions on freedom of speech necessary for public safety?
Do companies have an ethical responsibility to pay fair wages?

Government and Politics

Should the government regulate social media?
Should term limits be placed on members of Congress?
Are taxes too high in the United States?
Should voting be mandatory for all citizens?
Is the Electoral College still relevant today?
Does the death penalty serve as a deterrent to crime?
Should the US switch to a single-payer health care system?
Should there be limits on campaign spending?
Should the United States adopt a flat tax system?
Is it time to repeal the Second Amendment?
Is legalizing marijuana an ethical practice?
Should parents be allowed to choose the gender of their child?
Is it ethical to test medicines on animals?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of genetic engineering?
Are there any health risks associated with using digital screens too often?
Should physical education be mandatory in every school?
Is the healthcare system in your country adequate for your needs?
Are there any benefits to eating organic food?
How does mental health affect physical health?
Should vaccinations be mandatory for all children?
Was the Spanish Inquisition justified?
Were the American Colonists justified in rebelling against Great Britain?
Did Christopher Columbusâ discoveries benefit or harm indigenous populations?
What effect did Genghis Khan have on world history?
Did World War I significantly change the course of history?
Was the Treaty of Versailles fair to Germany?
Did Napoleon Bonaparteâs rule bring about positive or negative changes for France and Europe?
Should the United States annexed the Philippines in 1898?
How did the Great Depression shape world history?
Is there any validity to the theory of a âclash of civilizationsâ?
Should artificial intelligence be regulated?
Should autonomous vehicles be allowed on public roads?
Is the internet making us less social?
Should research into cloning be banned?
Are there moral issues related to genetic engineering?
Should governments fund space exploration programs?
Are smart home devices making us more vulnerable to cyberattacks?
Should the government regulate social media use?
Are robots taking away jobs from humans?
Should nuclear energy be used as an alternative to fossil fuels?
Should professional athletes be drug tested?
Is there a gender gap in sports?
Should college athletes be paid for their performances?
Does skill or luck decide the outcome of sports competitions?
Are sporting events becoming too commercialized?
Is it necessary to increase public funding for sporting events?
Is the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports cheating or fair?
Should college students be able to choose their own sports teams?
Do professional sports hurt young people?
Should parents allow children to play violent video games?
Should schools replace textbooks with tablets?
Are algorithms replacing human decision-making in the workplace?
Is it time to regulate the use of facial recognition technology?
Can artificial intelligence and robots be used to improve healthcare outcomes?
Should autonomous vehicles be allowed on public roads?
Should Internet access be a basic human right?
Should social media platforms do more to protect user privacy?
Is blockchain technology the future of banking and finance?
Are virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa invading privacy?
Can we trust that autonomous weapons system will make ethical decisions in war?

Social Media

Here are a few social media persuasive essay topics. Take a look at them.

Is social media a positive or negative influence on society?
Should employers be able to access an employee's social media accounts?
Should people be allowed to post anonymously online?
How can parents protect their children from the risks of using social media?
Does the spread of fake news on social media hurt society?
Should governments regulate online speech on social media?
Should employers be allowed to conduct background checks using social media?
Is the personal data of individuals safe from exploitation by corporate interests on social media platforms?
Are people spending too much time on their digital devices?
Is the use of social media by young people making them more isolated?

Controversial Persuasive Essay Topics

Should the death penalty be reinstated in all states?
Should gun control laws be stricter?
Is global warming a real threat?
Are vaccinations safe for children?
Should prostitution be legalized?
Should marijuana be made legal?
Does school uniform violate personal freedom?
Should genetically modified foods be allowed in the market?
Should sex education in school be mandatory?
Should animal testing be banned?

Fun Persuasive Essay Topics

Should cats be allowed to go to school?
Should people have a minimum number of friends before they can graduate?
Is it okay to laugh at your own jokes?
Should parents be required to take parenting classes?
Are video games the best way to spend free time?
Should kids be allowed to wear pajamas in public places?
Should students have to pass a test before they can drive a car?
Are cell phones essential for teenagers or should they be limited?
Should everyone learn how to cook their meals?
Would it be better if all schools had the same uniform?

Argumentative Persuasive Essay Topics

Should the electoral college be abolished?
Is it ethical to eat meat?
Should the internet have censorship?
Are genetically modified foods safe for human consumption?
Is social media good or bad for society?
Should the drinking age be lowered or raised?
Should school attendance be mandatory for students?
Are video games too violent and negatively influencing children?
Should religious education be banned from public schools?

How to Choose a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Choosing a writing topic for your persuasive essay writing is essential.

The right topic will let you draft an exceptional and well-written essay. Selecting a persuasive essay topic might sound easy, but it can be challenging.

You cannot randomly start writing a persuasive essay about any topic and expect your essay to be brilliant.

To select the best topic for your essay, take these essential steps:

1. Know your Interests - You can only draft an effective essay if you are writing about something that interests you. When you write something you are passionate about, the enthusiasm helps to persuade the readers.

2. Narrow Down Ideas - Make a rough list of the topic of your interest. Then, analyze all the issues and identify topics you think you can present well.

3. Pick your Stance - Now that you know the information is sufficient on a topic, decide your stance. Pick a side to support with evidence and logic.

4. Controversy is the Best Policy - People love to read about controversial stuff. It is more likely that the readers will go through the entire essay to ease their curiosity.

After passing your ideas through these filters, you will have a strong and arguable topic to draft an essay on.

Tips for Writing a Compelling Persuasive Essay

Whether you are in school, college, or university, crafting an effective persuasive essay can be difficult.

Fortunately, with a few tips and tricks, you can create a compelling, persuasive essay that will make your readers take notice.

Here are six tips to help you write a compelling, persuasive essay:

1. Choose Your Topic Carefully

You need to select a relevant and interesting topic for your audience. Make sure you feel passionate about it and can present it logically and convincingly.

2. Do Extensive Research

Before beginning your essay, research your topic as much as possible. So you can present both sides of the argument in an informed, balanced way.

3. Identify Your Audience

Before writing your persuasive essay, consider who will be reading it and their interests.

This will help you write in a language that resonates with them and ensure that your arguments suit their understanding.

4. Use Logical Arguments

It is important to provide logical and compelling arguments to be persuasive. Make sure you use facts, statistics, and other evidence to make your points more convincing.

5. Structure Your Essay Well

An effective persuasive essay should be well-organized. Divide it into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Pay attention to the structure of your essay, as it can help you make your points more effectively.

Learn how to make a perfect persuasive essay outline with the help of our blog.

6. Make It Engaging

An engaging, persuasive essay will capture your audienceâs attention from beginning to end.

Use various techniques to make your essay interesting and engaging, such as using examples, analogies, and persuasive language.

We hope you are inspired by our comprehensive list of topics. Pick up a topic that entices you and start working on it. By following these amazing tips and tricks, you can surely compose an essay that will wow your professor.

Still not sure how to draft a perfect essay? Well, leave it to us. Our essay writing service helps you craft your argument in the most effective way possible to get the desired results.

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed with the process! Trust our professional persuasive essay writer.

Let CollegeEssay.org's best essay writing service guide you on your journey and take your writing to the next level.

Take the stress out of writing persuasive essays and get the results you need with our expert essay writer AI .

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i choose a good persuasive essay topic.

When selecting a persuasive essay topic, consider an issue that is interesting to you and has two or more opposing viewpoints. Research various resources about the topic to gain a better perspective

What strategies can I use for writing a persuasive essay?

When writing a persuasive essay, establish facts from reliable sources to support your argument. Be concise but thorough, and use persuasive language to strengthen your argument.

How can I make my persuasive essay stand out?

To make your persuasive essay stand out, use vivid language and strong, specific evidence to support each point. Make sure all sources are current and relevant to the argument being made. With these elements, your persuasive essay will stand out from the rest!

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200 Persuasive Essay Topics

January 6, 2024 by Richard Leave a Comment

Attention students and writers! Here are 200 persuasive essay topics to get you writing; if you’re looking for a hot-button issue to tackle in your following persuasive essay, this mega list of 200 controversial topics will get you thinking.

Persuasive essays aim to convince readers of a particular perspective on a topic. Rather than a balanced discussion of both sides, a good persuasive essay will make a strong case for one moral, ethical, political, or practical position. The goal is to use logic, evidence, and rhetorical techniques to help readers embrace a new view or take action.

Below, we have compiled 200 of today’s most fiercely debated issues across disciplines. Scan the list for an idea that inspires you to take a stand. These prompts touch on personal values, science, politics, identities, social norms, technology, law, education, health, ethics, and more.

Consider an angle not covered by mainstream media outlets. Survey friends and strangers to find out which issues they care about. Then, craft an evidence-backed argument to convince even skeptical readers.

A strong, persuasive essay will resonate emotionally through narrative elements while backing claims with qualitative or quantitative data. Structure your thesis logically and appeal to shared values. Be sure to address counterarguments without seeming defensive before circling back to the power of your unique perspective on this complex topic.

Get those pages turning with a hooking introduction addressing why this issue urgently requires attention. Offer fresh solutions and inspire your peers to reconsider assumptions. Most importantly, write from an informed position with honesty, conviction, and clarity.

Now, let’s raise some questions, ruffle some feathers, and change some minds! Here are 200 thought-provoking essay prompts on today’s most divisive debates:

Here are 200 persuasive essay topics:

Schools should eliminate standardized testing.
Smoking should be banned in all public places.
Zoos should be shut down.
Social media has a negative impact on mental health.
College athletes should be paid.
College tuition costs too much and should be lowered.
Vaccines should be mandatory.
School uniforms should be required.
Junk food advertising should be banned.
All schools should implement anti-bullying programs.
Islands and coastal areas need better protection from rising sea levels.
Recycling should be mandatory by law.
Gun control laws need to be more strict and regulated.
Minimum wage should be raised to help the working poor.
Art and music classes are crucial for child development.
Fast food restaurants should post nutrition information.
Social networks have led to isolation rather than human connection.
Local governments should do more to curb littering in public spaces.
There should be limits on advertising during children’s programming.
All students should receive basic financial education.
Pet stores should only be allowed to sell animals from shelters and rescues.
All religions should enjoy tax-exempt status.
Student loan debt is a major economic crisis that needs solutions.
Hollywood perpetuates harmful stereotypes.
Celebrities should use social media responsibly and avoid bad influences on youth.
Professional athletes are overpaid.
Child beauty pageants should be banned.
Homework assignments should be banned.
Technology makes people waste too much time.
Television does more harm than good.
Cosmetic animal testing should be illegal.
Whaling should remain illegal.
The electoral college should be abolished.
Chocolate is good for health.
Students should not have to wear school uniforms.
Adults must do more to curb cyberbullying.
Herbal medicine offers just as much healing as modern medicine.
Mandatory retirement ages should be abolished.
Circuses with live animals should be outlawed.
Boxing should be banned.
Parents should talk to kids about drugs at a young age.
Marijuana should be legalized.
The drinking age should be lowered to 18.
Assisted suicide should be legal and regulated.
Single-use plastics need to be banned globally.
Contact sports can be too dangerous for teenage participation.
GMOs do more good than harm.
Vegan diets provide optimal human health.
Abortion rights must be protected.
Books have more value than movies adapted from them.
Classical art education should be required in schools.
Children under 16 should be banned from social media.
Prenatal testing should be more widely accessible.
Cloning endangered species can save them from extinction.
Student evaluations of professors for tenure review create bias and should be abolished.
Online privacy is a universal human right and needs more protection.
Documentaries have more educational value than fictional films.
Hunting purely for sport should be outlawed.
Term limits for all politicians would improve governance.
High deductible health plans deter people from seeking needed care.
University endowments should be taxed if costs are not lowered for families.
Factory farming is ethically wrong.
Insider trading by members of Congress should be illegal.
Internet censorship threatens open debate and truth.
Texting while driving should be entirely outlawed across the U.S.
For-profit colleges often take advantage of students.
Exotic animal markets should be shut down globally to prevent future pandemics.
Global governments need to further restrict private space exploration to protect planets for scientific purposes.
Military spending priorities are misplaced.
Driverless cars will create more harm than good.
Standardized creative arts instruction will deprive future generations of innovation.
Space exploration budgets should be increased.
The news media creates polarization and partisanship.
Referendums undermine representative democracy.
Ranked choice voting is the most democratic election process.
Independent redistricting can reduce political polarization.
Campaign finance laws fail to prevent donor corruption.
Governments compromise civil liberties too often citing security concerns.
Access to clean water is a basic human right.
Affordable housing solutions remain insufficient in many major cities.
The war on drugs creates more harm than drug use itself.
Mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenses are unjust.
Freedom of speech should not protect harmful disinformation.
Affirmative action remains necessary to promote diversity and equality.
Background checks before gun purchases must be universal.
Police brutality reforms have failed to prevent discrimination and misconduct.
Banning plastic grocery bags better protects wildlife and environments.
High-speed rail would modernize U.S. infrastructure.
Caps on interest rates prevent predatory lending.
The U.S. government spends too much on border enforcement and neglects compassionate immigration reform.
Wearable fitness trackers improve individual health choices.
Self-driving vehicles will never be flawless and accidents are inevitable.
Artificial intelligence poses catastrophic threats if not regulated by international governance.
Standardized test scores are a poor indicator of effective teaching.
Tuition-free college makes education accessible for all.
Reparations should be paid to the descendants of enslaved people.
Drug addiction deserves humane treatment instead of punishment.
Animal captivity for entertainment is always unethical.
Cryptocurrency threatens economic stability.
Social media filters promote conformity and undermine self-esteem.
All police officers should be required to wear body cameras.
Drones pose threats to privacy and security.
Testing cosmetics on animals should be illegal.
Year-round schooling is more effective than summer breaks.
All religions deserve equal protection under separation of church and state.
Industrial livestock farms pose great risks to human health and the environment.
Space tourism will further income inequality globally.
Legal drinking ages should be consistent across all democratic societies.
Censorship laws often serve governments over citizens.
The rapid acceleration of technology threatens labor markets and economic mobility for working classes.
Affordable pharmaceutical access remains out of reach for developing nations in crisis.
Social media platforms spread misinformation without accountability.
Polarized news coverage undermines balanced voter education on issues.
Unpaid internships exploit student labor and block professional access for less privileged groups.
Over prescription of pain medication fueled the opioid crisis across economic classes.
Eliminating food deserts improves public health in poor communities.
For-profit bail systems criminalize poverty and must be reformed.
Educational curriculum reform is necessary to encourage critical thinking over rote acceptance.
Organic farming is safer and more sustainable than reliance on GMOs and pesticides.
Offshore tax havens cost governments essential revenue to address pressing social problems.
Standardized education cannot address the needs of neurodiverse minds.
Popular entertainment romanticizes dangerous relationships.
CEOS earn too much compared to average workers at their companies.
Unpaid collegiate athletes deserve fair compensation and benefits.
Consumer culture values material possessions over human needs.
Reality television rarely reflects daily life and promotes shallow aspirations.
Legal reform is necessary to provide transgender people basic human rights.
Gerrymandering undermines representative democracy.
Social media apps can be too addictive given manipulated algorithms.
Fashion advertising promotes unhealthy and unrealistic beauty standards.
Standardized testing disadvantages minority and low-income students.
Unregulated technology monopolies stifle innovation and competition.
Electronic voting systems lack sufficient security against hacking and fraud.
Predatory lending solutions remain insufficient to protect military families.
Fossil fuel dependence aggravates global climate injustice.
Western media thrives on racist caricatures and stereotypes when depicting other cultures.
Solitary confinement constitutes torture and should be banned.
Government surveillance threatens personal privacy.
Voter ID laws often intentionally target marginalized groups.
Current libel laws impose unreasonable burdens on press freedom and public figures.
Trigger warnings promote valuable discourse around traumatic cultural history.
Criminal justice reform depends on abolishing private prisons motivated by profit over ethics.
Anti-homeless architecture in urban areas is cruel and exclusionary.
Decriminalizing sex work protects vulnerable people from workplace dangers of an unregulated industry.
Defunding police forces holds great promise to reduce community violence if combined with strong social services.
Affirmative action promotes equitable access to higher education and should be defended.
Standardized test scores disadvantage talented minority applicants with fewer preparatory resources.
Unpaid prison labor constitutes modern slavery and fuels mass incarceration.
Legacy admissions preserve class privileges rather than providing equal opportunities.
Mainstream environmental movements often ignore poor communities of color most impacted by pollution.
Gentrification destroys community heritage and displaces vulnerable residents.
Nonviolent drug offenses deserve public health solutions instead of severe sentencing.
Medical misinformation laws often limit patient autonomy and access.
Parental leave policies must apply equally to men and women to achieve gender equity at home and work.
Expensive cancer drugs often provide little additional survival benefits.
Student lunch debt collections criminalize poverty in public education.
Civil asset forfeiture incentivizes unchecked seizures by police departments.
Felony disenfranchisement laws disproportionately impact minorities.
Forced arbitration protects corporations over defrauded individuals unable to join class action lawsuits.
Conversion therapy should be strictly prohibited for vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth.
Comprehensive immigration reform promises widespread economic benefits.
Restorative justice programs work better than punitive policies focused on punishment alone.
College athletes need additional health protections and medical coverage for sports injuries.
For-profit colleges often exploit vulnerable minority students with dishonest marketing and inferior education services.
Unregulated plastic surgery clinics endanger patients.
Beloved public library systems require increased funding to serve communities.
Abolishing the tipped minimum wage will reduce pay disparities in the restaurant industry, especially for women.
Chronic homelessness remains overlooked and underfunded amidst rising inequality in American cities.
Stricter fugitive slave clause enforcement perpetuates racism in the prison industrial complex.
Tax prep companies like TurboTax manipulate laws against simple IRS filing to profit from poverty.
Mandated paid family leave protects new parents and caregivers struggling to balance professional and personal demands.
CEO charity gifts allow tax breaks despite being minute fractions of their total wealth and income.
The Electoral college creates unequal voting power across states in presidential elections.
Ethnic studies programs empower marginalized student identities and improve educational outcomes.
True reparations to Black Americans require comprehensive policies addressing persistent economic and social inequities inherited from slavery and institutional racism over generations.
Public investment strategies like a Green New Deal promise enormous job growth and sustainable prosperity.
Corporate political donations and lobbying divert politicians from prioritizing the public good.
Whistleblower protections remain critically necessary but insufficient in both governments and companies.
Social security requires increased funding to remain solvent as aging populations retire.
Predatory mortgage loans deliberately target racial minority communities.
Exploitative noncompetitive agreements limit economic mobility for struggling workers.
Civil liberties curtailed by counterterrorism policies institutionalize religious discrimination.
Vaccine misinformation and irrational skepticism extend preventable deadly diseases.
Tax cuts for the extremely wealthy fail to trickle down or provide broad public benefits.
Irrational voucher programs undermine public K-12 education systems.
Social media echo chambers divide public consensus on scientific issues like climate change.
Asian American discrimination persists in college admissions despite higher test scores and academic achievements.
Welfare fraud fears burden vulnerable families in crisis much more than overpayments.
Free college tuition expands economic opportunities for talented students locked out based on income alone.
Anonymous egg/sperm donor laws deny children rights to critical medical histories.
Defective medical devices require stronger pre-market safety testing and post-market surveillance to protect patients from hidden risks.
FDA clinical trials rarely emphasize participant diversity or structural inequities allowing dangerous treatment biases against minorities.
Charging overhead boarding for essential mobility devices unfairly burdens disabled travelers.
Luxury real estate routinely excludes affordable units mandated for equitable development.
Public education curriculum lacks sufficient LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion efforts.
Homeless LGBTQ+ youth need dedicated shelter services and legal protections from exploitation.
Transgender athletes encounter enough youth bullying without blanket sports participation bans rooted in prejudice rather than facts.
Conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people creates severe trauma, especially for involuntary adolescent victims lacking rights to refuse.
Companies claiming Pride support engage in hollow branding without meaningful nonprofit partnerships or workplace policy reforms to hire/support LGBTQ+ employees year-round.
Same-sex couple adoption rights require legal protections to prevent welfare discrimination against children.

There you have it – 200 controversial essay prompts on issues ranging from education reform to civil rights to technology regulation. With such a vast array of debates currently shaping our social climate, you’re bound to find multiple topics that inspire strong personal convictions worthy of a passionate argument.

Take your time to carefully determine which position to argue after reflecting deeply on both sides. Craft an outline, organizing claims, evidence, and counterarguments before writing a clear, logical essay. Use this opportunity to elevate the discourse with nuanced reasoning instead of reactionary talking points. Structure paragraphs deliberately, interweave relevant anecdotes, and conclude with a resonant call to action.

Regardless of which prompt you choose, research thoroughly and ensure sources are credible experts. And remember – a persuasive essay’s job is not to definitively settle these complex issues but to encourage readers to reexamine assumptions. Your writing could positively impact society by contributing an informed perspective to necessary conversations influencing real-world change if done thoughtfully. We have more writing tips on our site . Leave us a comment if you enjoyed or used this list.

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Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry. Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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Writing Tips

50 Persuasive Essay Topics to Help You Ace Your Next Assignment

5-minute read

19th January 2023

Welcome to your ultimate guide to persuasive essay topics!

In this post, we’ll provide a list of 50 persuasive essay topics to help you get started on your next assignment.

We’ll also include some tips for writing a persuasive essay to help you craft a strong and effective argument. Whether you’re a student or a professional writer, these persuasive essay topics are sure to inspire and challenge you.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

Persuasive essays are a type of argumentative essay that encourage the reader to accept a particular point of view or take a specific action.

They typically open with a question, followed by a series of arguments intended to persuade the reader to take the same side as the author.

In a persuasive essay, the author will usually appeal to the readers’ emotions in order to prove that their opinion is the correct one. But this doesn’t mean that persuasive essays ignore evidence , facts, and figures; an effective persuasive essay makes use of a combination of logical argument and emotive language to sway the audience.

A persuasive essay can cover just about anything from pop culture to politics. With that in mind, we’ve put together this list of 50 persuasive essay topics to inspire your next assignment!

Science and the Environment

Should the use of plastic bags be banned?
Should genetically modified organisms be labeled?
Should we clone human beings?
Should animal testing be allowed?
Should the government fund space exploration?
Should the government regulate the use of pesticides in farming?
Should the government regulate the use of antibiotics in livestock?
Should the government fine people who drive gas-powered vehicles?
Should climate change be declared a national emergency?

Crime and Politics

Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should all American citizens have to serve a year of community service?
Should the US voting age be lowered to 16?
Should the government adopt a tougher immigration policy?
Should the government cut its military spending?
Should the government introduce a national living wage?
Should politicians be banned from social media?
Should the electoral college be abolished?

Health and Fitness

Should the government provide universal healthcare?
Should the government ban the use of certain chemicals in cosmetics?
Should parents be allowed to choose the gender of their unborn child?
Should physical exercise be mandatory at work?
Should employees have to disclose health conditions to their employers?
Should fast food commercials be banned?
Should herbal medicines be better regulated?
Should regular mental health checkups be mandatory?
Should schools offer fast food options like McDonald’s or Taco Bell?
Should students be required to wear uniforms?
Should the government provide free college education?
Should schools offer comprehensive sex education?
Are high school students given too much homework?
Should humanities and arts subjects receive more funding?
Should military recruiters be allowed on school grounds?
Is the school day too long?
Should every US citizen be required to learn another language?

Lifestyle and Culture

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Should the drinking age be lowered or raised?
Should the use of tobacco be banned?
Should marijuana be legalized?
Should all museums and art galleries be free?
Should kids be encouraged to read more?
Should public spaces provide unisex bathrooms?
Is pet ownership a human right?
Should extreme sports be banned?

Tips for Writing a Persuasive Essay

Once you’ve chosen your topic, it’s time to start writing your persuasive essay. Here are our tips:

Choose a Side

When you’ve picked the question you’re going to address in your essay, you also need to choose one side – or answer – that you’re going to write in favor of.

It helps if you’re passionate about the topic, as this will enable you to write from an emotional perspective.

Do Your Research

In order to write persuasively , you need to understand the topic you’re writing about.

Make sure you know the details of your subject matter, and can provide facts and figures to back up your appeal to your readers’ emotions.

You should also read up about different points of view on the topic, so that you can bring them up in the form of counterarguments and rebuttals .

Keep Your Audience in Mind

When you’re writing your essay, think about who it is you’re trying to persuade. The way you speak to a student, for example, will be different to how you address a parent.

Consider what your potential audience will value, and how you can reach them on an emotional level.

Outline Your Essay

Now you’ve got all the information you need, it’s time to plan and write your essay.

You should break it down into the follow sections:

An introduction, which sets up the question you’re going to answer and what side of the argument you are aiming to persuade the reader of.
The body of the essay, with a paragraph for each of the points you want to make.
A conclusion, where you summarize your points and main arguments.

Get It Proofread

As with any essay, your finished persuasive essay will need proofreading to make sure it’s the best it can be.

Our academic proofreading team here at Proofed can help with that. You can even get your first 500 words proofread for free !

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227 Amazing College Persuasive Essay Topics [Free Ideas]

Ever wondered what a persuasive essay is? Are you struggling to differentiate it from an argumentative one? Do you think it’s impossible to find original persuasive speech topics for college students?

If you have answered yes to any question, you’ve come to the right place. Our team can help you!

A persuasive essay is a piece of academic writing that convinces readers to accept the author’s position and agree with their ideas. Through clear arguments and examples, the writer demonstrates the legitimacy of their point of view.

Below, we have provided a list of the most interesting and unique college persuasive essay topics. So, don’t waste any more of your time searching for the right title. Use our ideas and create an outstanding persuasive essay!

👉 How to Choose?
✨ Best Speech Topics
🎓 Ideas on Education
📜 Topics on History
⚖ Ideas on Politics
👍 Topics on Sociology
💰 Ideas on Economics
🚌 Transportation
🌿 Environment
⚙ Technology
🌍 Traveling
✌ Lifestyle
🏫 Teenagers
📚 Literature
🖐 25 More Topics

👉 How to Choose a Persuasive Essay Topic for College?

The main secret of the successful persuasive essay is a compelling topic. Therefore, when choosing the right persuasive topic, follow these few simple pieces of advice:

Re-read the assignment . The task that you’ve received from your tutor can be of great assistance. You just have to read it correctly. Unfortunately, college students tend to underestimate the power of the question. Don’t make this mistake. Read your assignment carefully because it can provide clues on the topic to look for.
Brainstorm ideas. Before writing any paper, college students have to research. It will ensure the argumentative part of the persuasive essay. To understand what to examine, have an ideation session, and consider a variety of ideas. Picking the most appropriate one, you’ll see where to start your research. Try to find as many topics as you can. Free college essays collection is a good place to check out as a part of your session. You’ll be able to see what topics are already covered, and what you can expand upon. It will make your investigation and writing processes easier!
Don’t pick an idea if it’s too broad . You may think that in this case, you’ll have plenty of things to argue about. Well, maybe a bit too many. In your essay, you should cover an entire topic so that it sounds convincing. When the idea is too broad, you can’t fit every argument in one paper. So, specify your title. For instance, you want to persuade your readers to stay healthy. Then don’t investigate all the aspects of maintaining health. Focus on one specific issue. For example, explore the positive influence of sport on the general health condition of a human being.
Ensure that you have credible sources. In some colleges, even the smallest essays may require a list of references. Thus, make sure you have materials to research and later list as your sources. Remember: Good persuasive paper topics for college have to offer a wide variety of sources to investigate. So, if you are not confident in your materials, better change the title. It will prevent you from a lack of evidence to support your arguments.
Choose a topic of personal interest. We’re not compelling you to write something that you enjoy when it contradicts the assignment. But try to select an idea that doesn’t bore you from reading it out loud. It is always more pleasurable to write on a topic you are passionate about. Don’t miss your chance to make turn your essay writing process into an exciting activity.
Select something you have an opinion about, but open to debate. Your tutors can disagree with your position. Nevertheless, it is not a reason to give up. It’s the right time to show your critical thinking skills. State your position clearly and provide convincing arguments to support it. Show your readers that you can change your position if you see some compelling data. It can give you some extra credit. The best persuasion topics for college create an environment for debates and discussions.
Be unique! In colleges, the amount of papers done daily is enormous. Don’t make your professors read about the importance of waste sorting, for example, yet again. The topic of environmental protection is undoubtedly extremely significant. However: It is way too overused. The professors are tired of reading essays on the same issues again and again. Surprise them and stand out.

Finding an original topic for a persuasive essay is tricky.

✨ 12 Best Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

How important is mental health?
Is online school more effective?
Are GMO products good?
Is social media dangerous?
What’s wrong with the education system?
Does recycling work?
Is veganism bad for the environment?
Should foreign policy be feminist?
Is marriage an obsolete institution?
Can protests and demonstrations bring change?
Can alternative medicine actually work?
Is modern advertising unethical?

🔑 Essential College Persuasive Essay Topics

We bet, every college student at least once had an assignment to write a persuasive essay. Haven’t you had yet? The best is yet to come! Thus, you have to be prepared to face all the challenges of a persuasive essay composing.

Searching for interesting persuasive essay topics is a complicated issue. However, you don’t have to worry about it. Our team of experts gathered the most popular and effective ideas in one place.

Don’t stress out about the topic:

Take a look at our list of persuasive essay topics for college students. We divided our ideas into sections so that you can find the most appropriate one. So, you can easily navigate throughout our page for a more effective search.

🎓 College Persuasive Essay Ideas on Education

An educational system should encourage creativity .
Student diversity should be present in a school classroom .
Why should college students care about their mental and physical health?
Why should we stop girls’ discrimination in the modern educational system?
Why should computer science programs be taught in colleges and universities?
Why should parents take part in their children’s education?

Parents should participate in their children's studying for numerous reasons.

Why reading performance of students with learning disabilities should be improved?
Studying abroad results in better education.
Homework does not help in the learning process.
The costs of higher education should be reduced.
A grade does not show a student’s knowledge.
The Internet overuse blocks the mental development of a modern teenager.
Education should not depend on technologies.
Essay writing develops the critical thinking skills of students.
Foreign language learning should be mandatory in school . Conduct research on how foreign languages influence children and teenagers. What are the positive sides of such education? Then, persuade your readers that foreign languages are essential in the school core curriculum.
Art classes should be a priority in middle school . Elaborate on the importance of the development of the sense of art for children and teenagers. Why should art classes be higher in the list of priorities than technical or science courses? How can the right perception of art help pupils in future life?
The core curriculum of the high school should not be too broad. Why do we have to narrow down our focus in high school? Explain how teenagers will benefit from studying particular subjects instead of getting general knowledge. Convince your readers about the importance of focusing on a specific field in high school.
A gap year before entering the university is beneficial. Give persuading evidence why students should take a gap year. What are the advantages? Make your readers debate whether a gap year is worth considering. Finally, convince them that it is worth it.
Mobile phones should not be allowed in school. State your position regarding the usage of smartphones during the learning process. What adverse ramifications do the mobile phones have on the academic results of pupils? Persuade your readers to prohibit phone usage in school.
Traditional education is more effective than remote learning . How the benefits of the conventional way of learning outweigh the advantages of remote education? Compare the aspects of remote learning for different age groups: 1st grade age, 6th grade age, and a college student.

📜 College Persuasive Essay Topics on History

The American Revolution was a turning point in USA history.
The year 1763 is crucial in US history.
The media played a crucial role in promoting the Vietnam War .
We shouldn’t underestimate the significance of African-American social reform.
Technological advancement of the 17th century was a new era in world history.
Without Enlightenment and Romantic Age , the European culture wouldn’t be so progressive nowadays.

Enlightenment took over the period of the 17th and 18th centuries.

People should’ve stopped the propaganda of Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones before the intensive development.
The historical influence of Abraham Lincoln should become a role model for modern political figures.
Americans should have abolished slavery in the United States way earlier.
The four voyages by Christopher Columbus are crucial in the progress of world history.
Cultural exchanges in the medieval period significantly impacted the civilizations.
Protestant reformation was the most influential Christian movement.
Japanese women in the Middle Ages should have been more powerful.
The world war should never happen again.
The age of exploration . Who are the key figures? How did they impact world history formation? Convince your readers of the importance of the age of exploration.
The Mayan calendar system did not predict the end of the world . Investigate the Mayan calendar system. What is your explanation of the fact that the calendar system ended in the year 2012? Persuade your readers that the suggestions about the end of the world in 2012 are false.
Racial discrimination in America violated human rights to a great extend . Give a brief overview of racial discrimination in the USA. Persuade the readers to perceive racial discrimination as an act of human rights violation.
Apollo 11 – the first spaceflight that landed people on the Moon . Discuss the importance of this event. Convince your readers about the significance of the Moon exploration.
History studying should become the top priority for students. The knowledge of history may help to prevent mistakes from the past. So, persuade your readers to explore historical events.
Holocaust should not be justified and denied . What are the horrible consequences of holocaust tragedy? Analyze an opinion regarding the denial of the holocaust. Persuade the readers not to support this idea.

⚖ College Persuasive Essay Ideas on Politics

Civil rights of black Americans should not be limited.
Migration should not be restricted because it has certain benefits to modern countries .
In the battle of socialism vs. democracy , the second one should win.

Why is socialism becoming so popular in democratic states?

Nationalism in international relations should be accepted.
E-government should become transparent and accountable for the citizens .
Celebrities should stay aside from political activities.
The laws for each state of America should become common.
A voting system should be transparent.
Ordinary people should not be allowed to own guns.
The federal tax return process should become more manageable.
Individual rights versus the common good . Express your position regarding the issue. What do you support: individual rights or common good? Persuade the readers to follow your ideas.
Gay marriage should be allowed . If you don’t agree with the topic, express the opposing opinion. Elaborate on your arguments and provide counterarguments. Exclude harsh comments and offensive language from the narrative.
The death penalty cannot be justified . Why do you think so? Give clear arguments to support your opinion. If you believe that the death penalty is justifiable, prove your position.
Electronic voting in the United States should not be banned . Present the positive sides of this way of voting and convince the readers in your rightness. Don’t you agree with this opinion? Then, provide counterarguments.
Abortion should be legal . Provide clear arguments to express your position. Or provide counterarguments to contradict the idea of abortion legalization.

👍 College Persuasive Essay Topics on Sociology

Community services should be provided for mentally disabled people .
Equality and diversity are the main social issues .
Interpersonal communication skills are crucial in modern society.
Gender inequalities in the 21st century should be overcome .
Should the Canadian government legalize prostitution?
Max Weber’s rationality theory should be accepted by society .
China should take specific steps to overcome the overpopulation problem .
Gender stereotypes in a family should be dismantled.

Present studies aim to fill a gap in the literature on gender role attitudes and family dynamics.

Abusive relationships in a family should not be hidden.
Implementing more tough punishments on the lawbreakers should reduce the crime rates of the USA.
Does family promote or limit mobility? Choose one side of the issue and provide clear arguments to support your ideas.
Divorce has negative effects on children . Do you agree with this statement? Convince the readers to accept your point of view by stating your position clearly and powerfully.
Birth control should be monitored on a governmental level. Express your opinion regarding birth control in modern society. Conduct a study on the cultural, religious, and political aspects of the birth control issue.
Is there the right age to get married? Decide if there are any age suggestions to create a family or no? Support your choice with bright ideas and appropriate examples.
To resolve the conflict, we need to know the nature of the conflict . Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Provide strong arguments to make people believe in your point of view. How do you think psychology works while resolving the conflict?

💰 College Persuasive Essay Ideas on Economics

Competing theories are the core of economic development.
We have to consider John Locke’s and Karl Marx’s economic ideas nowadays.
Demand and supply correlation in the market matters a lot.
Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” concept can improve modern economics .
If we want to stabilize the economy, we have to implement the monetary policy .
Should big banks be broken up?
We should consider the relationship between money supply and inflation while preventing the high level of inflation.
We shouldn’t take the Keynesian explanation of the recession too seriously.
Industrialization plays a significant role in economic development.
Small business owners should receive financial support during the period of crisis.

As an example or evidence for this persuasive topic, talk about the COVID-19 crisis.

The governments should reduce monopoly power.
The role of understanding the goals of human resource management in the context of human capital theory . Explain the significance of effective HR management for a business flourishing. Persuade your readers to invest enough resources in human capital.
Exchange regimes have a significant impact on macroeconomic performance . Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Provide well-developed arguments to prove your point of view. Persuade your readers to accept your position.
Consumer behavior is different in every country. If you agree, develop this idea by providing strong arguments. If you don’t, state your position. Either way, support your arguments with supporting evidence. Make your readers follow your opinion.
The understanding of the basic concepts of economics is essential for every person . Explain how the knowledge of economics can help people to manage their money wisely. How to survive during the crisis? How to lead a business successfully, etc. Persuade your readers to study the basics of economics.

💡 Interesting College Persuasive Essay Topics

Are you already impressed with a diversity of topics our team collected for you? But don’t think that’s all we have to offer for you. Since our mission is to help you, we have more persuasive essay ideas for college to share.

Below, you can find more fascinating ideas for your assignments. For your convenience, we divided persuasive essay topics for college into several sections. Investigate our ideas and don’t hesitate to use them.

🚌 Transportation Persuasive Essay Topics

Planes should newer take off if weather conditions are inappropriate .
Never drive a car if you are under the alcohol or drug effect .
Hybrid cars are environmentally friendly, so they should become the future of the transportation industry .
Why should people study driving?
The usage of alternative energy resources should reshape the global transportation infrastructure .
The governments should invest enough money in public transport advancement .
Cars usage should be regulated .
A school bus should be checked at least once a month to ensure the safety of pupils.
The reserves of petroleum should be replenished to provide a proper transportation industry operation.
The shipping of essential goods during the state of emergency (quarantine, dangerous natural conditions, etc.) should be free.
We should use public transport instead of private cars to save the environment.
Hybrid engine vs. standard engine . Examine the positive and negative aspects of both of them. Which one would you prefer? Persuade your readers to support your opinion by giving clear arguments.
Information technology influences the logistics industry to a great extent . Provide appropriate examples of the IT impact on logistics. Convince your readers of the importance of your opinion.
The role of transportation in the development of tourism . Prove your audience that transportation progress has a direct impact on tourism opportunities.

Transportation plays a vital role in tourism.

We have to reduce the use of crude oil in the transportation industry . What are the possible adverse ramifications of such oil usage? Persuade your readers to limit applying this type of fuel. If you don’t agree with the idea, express the opposing opinion. Elaborate on your arguments and provide counterarguments.

🌿 Environmental Persuasive Essay Topics

The government should control the overpopulation to prevent consequences for the environment .
Human activity should be limited to preserve biodiversity .
We have to examine an ecologically sustainable approach .
Alternative energy sources are essential for saving the planet .
We should try our best to live a zero-waste lifestyle .
Saving endangered species must be a top priority issue for environmental organizations.
Solar energy can save the environment.
Hunting sports should be banned because they harm biodiversity.
The conservation of global resources is necessary for maintaining the lifecycle of the planet.
Waste sorting should be mandatory all around the world.
Stopping deforestation will prevent the loss of natural habitat for animals.
Tourism negatively affects wildlife. Comment no the negative consequences of traveling on nature. If you believe that tourism does not harm wildlife, provide counterarguments to claim your position.
Farming has to be wise. Explain how intensive farming damages nature. Convince your readers about the importance of following the farming rules. They can help to prevent intensive farming’s adverse ramifications.
The Prime Days on Amazon should be banned . Explain how the incredibly low prices on items during the Prime Days result in extremely high costs for the environment. Persuade your readers to resist the desire to buy unnecessary goods from Amazon.
Without rainforests, our planet will suffocate . Prove the significance of the preservation of the rainforests for the environment.

Tropical forests are responsible for around 34 percent of photosynthesis occurring on land.

⚙ Technology Persuasive Essay Ideas

Globalization influences computer technologies to a great extent .
The government should implement Internet censorship .
Cloud computing is an innovative era in computer science .
Cyberbullying should be controlled to prevent a negative influence on youth .
Dependency on computers is a considerable threat to human well-being .
Data and information security should be a top concern of every internet user .
Investing money in developing information technology systems is profitable for companies.
The internet blocks the development of human intelligence.
To prevent the development of serious illnesses, we should use genetic technology.
Technological advancement should focus on the improvement of the health sector.
We have to use technology wisely to make people smarter.
A scientific revolution started the technological advancement. Convince your readers about the importance of the scientific revolution in technological development. If you don’t agree with the topic, express the opposing opinion, providing counterarguments.
E-books or audiobooks will never replace paper books. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? State your position clearly and make your readers accept it.
Nowadays, society is too dependent on computer technologies . Comment on its negative and positive sides in the life of modern people. Persuade the readers not to overuse technology in everyday life.
Technology and science complement each other. Provide clear arguments to prove this idea or counterarguments to disprove it.

😃 Easy College Persuasive Topics

Do you think that persuasive essays have to cover only serious or global issues? Do you feel as if you have to be overwhelmed with the complexity of the subject? You are mistaken. A paper won’t become less successful if it explores even everyday life topics.

That’s why:

We prepared the next section of the article for you. Here you can find simple persuasive essay ideas for college students. Select a fascinating topic and compose an outstanding essay.

🎶 Persuasive Essay Ideas for College about Music

Music has a significant impact on culture .
Music preferences depend on personality type .
Music can influence our behavior .

Research suggests music can influence us a lot. It can impact illness, depression, spending, productivity, and our perception of the world.

Songs with lyrics that promote violent behavior should be banned.
A musician is not just a job; it is a vocation.
Medical workers should investigate the positive effect of music on mental illnesses’ treatment.
Music can be helpful in the learning process.
Good song lyrics can inspire people . Provide a sample of inspiring verses. How can it motivate listeners? Persuade the readers to pay attention to the song lyrics while listening to music.
A guitar is always a good idea for friendly gatherings . Prove to your readers that several songs played on a guitar can create a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Rap reflects violence. This is a generally accepted opinion. Do you agree or disagree with it? Prove your point of view by providing well-developed arguments.

🌍 Persuasive Topics for College on Traveling

While traveling, health and safety issues should be a top priority .
Tourism should be sustainable .
A trip to India will make you see the world from the other side.
Summer will become more memorable and fascinating if you travel.
Traveling broadens people’s minds.
Traveling with family or friends is an essential part of a happy life.
Spending a holiday on a trip is always more pleasurable than in front of a TV or computer.
Every person should visit Europe at least once in life. Explain why Europe is a must-see destination for every tourist.
People should travel as much as they want. Persuade people not to resist the desire to explore new places by listing the advantages of traveling.
Traveling is affordable for everyone. Persuade people to visit various countries, even with a limited budget.

Give some useful tips to persuade your reader to travel more.

✌ Persuasive Essay Ideas for College about Lifestyle

Parents should be responsible for their children’s obesity .
Proper nutrition and positive behavior prevent cancer .
A healthy lifestyle prevents aging .
Weight management programs and hypnotherapy are useful in maintaining good shape and a healthy organism .
An active way of life should replace a sedentary lifestyle to prevent heart diseases.
You should plan your weight loss process wisely.
Well-balanced nutrition is a way to a healthy and beautiful body.
Regular yoga and fitness will help you to maintain mental and physical wellness.
Regular physical activities and enough sleep can help students to study better.
Media influences the development of eating disorders . Explain the mechanisms media’s effect on eating disorders. Persuade your readers to pay enough attention to the information on social media.

📺 Persuasive Topics for College about Media

The role of mass media in modern society shouldn’t be underestimated .
Media affects the way people look at society .

Dr. Pamela Rutledge says about the media's influence on society.

TV shows have a negative influence on children .
Parents should control the effects of mass media advertising on teenagers .
Professional psychologists should review every cartoon before being released on television.
The information on the internet should be filtered to avoid the spreading of fake news.
Censorship is a must-have for modern television.
Old cartoons are more insightful than modern ones. Compare and contrast old and new animated films. Prove the usefulness of old ones. Convince the audience to make their children familiar with old cartoons.
Social media develops an inferiority complex among teenagers . How pictures of luxurious life in social networking sites influence adolescents’ self-esteem? Persuade the readers to filter the information seen in social media.
Mass media in the 1950s was more ethical than contemporary mass media. Analyze the ethical issues that are present in modern media. Why is following the ethical rules while sharing the information through the mass media vital?

🏫 Persuasive Essay Ideas for College on Teens

Both abstinence and sex education should be taught in high schools .
Professional psychologists or psychiatrists should treat anxiety disorders in children and adolescents .
Cheating in schools should be strictly punished.
Understanding teen depression is a crucial step in overcoming it.
The federal government should enact anti-bullying laws .
Bullying in school should be the main issue to deal with for the headteacher.
The teenage period requires constant monitoring of children’s behavior by parents and teachers.
Parents should have access to teenagers’ academic results.
The mental health of teens is precarious. Convince the readers to monitor and maintain adolescents’ mental health.
Parents should control social media usage by teenagers. Why should parents monitor the social networking accounts of their children? Explain why it is useful to teach teens how to behave on social media.

Persuade the parents to keep track of kids’ social networking activity.

📚 Persuasive Topics for College on Literature

Literature studying should be mandatory in schools.
Literature teaches us how to live a worthy life.
Robin Hood should become an example to follow.
You have to read some books several times throughout life to get the idea.
Lyric poetry may help in dealing with inner conflicts.
William Shakespeare is an outstanding figure of English literature that should always be appreciated.
Every person should have one book that will always remain their favorite one.
The theme of Romeo and Juliet will always remain relatable. Support this idea by providing compelling arguments and examples from the play. If you don’t agree with the statement, present clear counterarguments to prove your point of view.
The parents should read fairy tales to their children from early childhood. Persuade your audience to make their kids familiar with the fairy tales. Explain the importance of positive aspects of this genre of literature.
Dorian Gray and Oscar Wilde are connected. Describe Oscar Wilde’s background. Analyze how the author reflected his personality in the character of Dorian Gray. Convince your readers to accept your point of view. Propose examples from the book and the author’s biography.

🖐 25 More Topics to Persuade College Students

Here you can find a pleasant bonus from our team—25 more ideas to write about. You can use them not only for essays but also as persuasive speech topics for college.

So, take the benefit of our list of topics. Show an outstanding academic performance in the college.

College Persuasive Essay Topics: Family

A happy relationship should be based on trust and honesty.
In small and big families, parents should treat their children equally.
After giving birth, motherhood should become the primary concern of a woman’s life.
Parents should be the most significant support for their kids when they are sad, confused, or lost in life.
Children should take their retired parents to their home instead of the nursing home.

Support your position by providing strong arguments.

College Persuasive Essay Topics: Health

Physical activity is an effective way to prevent heart diseases.
People should quit smoking .
Mental health is not less important than physical health.
Well-balanced nutrition is key to a healthy body.
Taking care of general wellness should be everyone’s primary concern.

College Persuasive Essay Topics: Medicine

Strong pain killers should be sold by prescription only.
Drug prices should be set ethically .
Herbal medications are the safest.
Self-medication is extremely dangerous, even in the case of a simple cold or an allergy.
Differentiating various forms of medicines is essential . What is the working principle of a capsule, pill, syrup, etc.? Prove that the inappropriate application will not have an appropriate effect.

College Persuasive Essay Topics: Sports

Visiting a gym is extremely useful for our health .
Physical education should be mandatory in high school.
Extreme sports are only for professional athletes.
The governments should invest enough money in the development of sports schools.
Football is not only for boys. Women can create a successful football team, as well.

College Persuasive Essay Topics: Religion

Discrimination by religion or culture should not be acceptable in modern society.
Every person should have a right to choose a god or goddess to worship.
The representatives of different religions should be tolerant of each other.
The attitude towards wealth in Christianity differs from the perception of wealth in Islam.
Any other religious representatives should not criticize the central beliefs of Judaism .

Select a persuasive topic on a touchy subject with care.

Thank you for visiting our page! We hope the information was useful to you. Don’t forget to leave your comments and share the article with other students.

🔗 References

Persuasive Essays, Writing Resources, Hamilton College
Persuasive Essay Outline: HCC Learning Web, Houston Community College
Choosing a Topic for Your College Essay: Essay Writing Center, International Student
Choosing College Essay Topics: Accepted
35 College Essay Prompts and Topics: Kayla Rutledge, SignUpGenius
How to Write a College Essay: Kelly Mae Ross, Devon Haynie, and Josh Moody for U.S. News
How To Answer the 2022-23 Common App Essay Prompts: College Essay Advisors
Writing a Political Science Essay: Charles King, Georgetown University
Writing a Paper about an Environmental Issue: Frederic Beaudry, ThoughtCo
Evidence: The Writing Center, the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill
Introducing Quotations and Paraphrases: UNSW Current Students
How Do I Write an Intro, Conclusion, & Body Paragraph: College of Literature, Science, and Arts, University of Michigan
Essay Writing Guide for Psychology Students: Saul McLeod, Simply Psychology
How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Writing Guides, Ultius
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110 Powerful persuasive essay topics

Published March 20, 2021. Updated December 22, 2021.

If your instructor assigns you a persuasive essay, let’s think for a moment about what that means.

For that to happen, your topic needs to be controversial. Your opinion on the topic needs to be debatable or arguable. Not everyone will agree with you – otherwise there would be no need to convince anyone, right?

For example, you don’t want to write an essay about how smoking is bad for your health. Who would disagree with that? That is not controversial at all.

Now, what if your essay was about why the legal driving age should be increased to 18 years? There are definitely people who would disagree with you. If you present logical reasons that your readers can relate to, you may convince some of them, and that’s the point.

Worried about your writing? Submit your paper for a Chegg Writing essay check , or for an Expert Check proofreading . Both can help you find and fix potential writing issues.

This page will cover the following points:

Topic Overview

Tips for choosing a good persuasive topic, persuasive essay versus argumentative essay, persuasive essay topics about travel, persuasive essay topics about government, persuasive essay topics about health, persuasive essay topics about social media, persuasive essay topics about technology, persuasive essay topics about education, persuasive essay topics about money, persuasive essay topics about food, persuasive essay topics about society, miscellaneous persuasive essay topics.

How do you feel about travel? Some people feel very strongly that everyone should travel, to broaden their horizons, while other people feel travel is a luxury and therefore unnecessary. Still others might be afraid of going somewhere new.

Also, many locations promote travel and tourism since it boosts economy, but now with COVID-19, those places that depend on tourism are struggling: do they allow travelers and risk COVID? Or do they keep people out and suffer financially?

Here are some topics you can explore.

What responsibility does a tourist have to support the local economy of the place they’re visiting?
Should people travel outside of their own country at least once in their lives?
Is it better to be prepared for anything or travel light?
Should tourism businesses focus on bringing money into the local economy, even if it could be harmful to the local environment?
Should women travel alone?
Should eco-tourism be more heavily promoted?
What is the responsibility of a location that depends on tourism for revenue, during COVID?
Is it better to book a travel package with a set itinerary, or travel without a set schedule?
When traveling to a country where another language is spoken, should a tourist learn some of the language?
What is the responsibility of a traveler when visiting countries with very different cultures, religions, and social customs?

Although many people say they’re “not political,” the choices government makes lead to policies that affect everyone. For good and bad, government has been front-page news for the last few years. So, even though the etiquette rule says it’s not polite to discuss politics, for a persuasive essay, it’s a timely, relevant, and controversial topic.

Consider writing about government or politics if any of these topics make you say “Yeah!” (or “No way!”) out loud. Choose the topic you’re sure would get your Uncle Bob most riled up at Thanksgiving.

Here are some topics for you to consider.

Should government provide safety nets for the poor?
Should the US abolish the Electoral College?
Should billionaires be disqualified from running for public office?
Should a former elected government official be allowed to work as a lobbyist?
Should US territories be granted statehood?
Should there be term limits for members of Congress?
Should election day be a national holiday?
What should the military’s responsibility be for veterans with PTSD?
What should be done about hyperpartisanship?
Is more representation (gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability, etc.) in politics beneficial to society?

Health is something that affects every one of us directly, at one point or another. When we’re healthy, we don’t tend to think about our health much. However, when something goes wrong, it’s all we think about.

And now with the COVID pandemic and with healthcare in the national spotlight, choosing a topic on health is sure to push people’s buttons (and that’s what you want!).

Do you feel strongly about any of these topics?

Should healthcare be a basic right in the US like in other countries? (Universal healthcare)
Should people with terminal diseases have the right to decide when to end their own lives?
Should drug addiction be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal issue?
Should health insurance cover vision, dental, and mental health?
What should be done about America’s obesity issue?
Should all healthcare be individual and not tied to employment?
Would incentives from health insurance companies help more people take better care of their health?
In a public health crisis, like COVID-19, should public health take precedent over individual freedom?
Should maternity leave be a guaranteed employment benefit? What about paternity leave?
Should junk food and sugary drinks be banned from elementary schools?
Is gender bias in healthcare still an issue today? Is racial bias?

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter… So many people are addicted to social media. What are we sharing when we post our curated lives on social media? What does that add to our lives? What does it take away?

A more recent phenomenon with social media has been to use it for business and for causes. Who benefits from these new uses?

Here are some topics for you to explore.

Is Instagram bad for body image?
Should all social media platforms have clear terms of service that apply to everyone?
Is social media bad for developing interpersonal communication?
Should your posts on social should affect your job?
Related: Is “cancel culture” a positive or negative movement?
Should social media continue to be used as a form of marketing?
What should be done about cyber-bullying?
How much responsibility do you have for what you post online?
Is social media effective for activism?
Are the negative effects of social media the same for men and women?

Technology is a part of our lives, whether we love it or hate it, and the rate at which technological advances are made is just going to continue increasing. While some technological advancements have made our lives easier, there are definitely some drawbacks.

Don’t believe that technology is all that important? Ponder for one moment: what would happen if you lost your Smartphone?

Are any of these topics particularly interesting to you?

Is automation causing job loss?
When upgrading technology, such as a laptop, phone, or tablet, should you be able to trade in your old technology?
Should elementary school kids have smart phones?
Is virtual medicine as effective as seeing a doctor in their office?
Is gamification a good way to help students learn?
Should state governments be responsible for ensuring that internet access is widely available?
What do you think about net neutrality?
How does remote learning compare to in-school learning?
Does technology increase work productivity?
Technology has advanced globalization. What are the consequences of this?

Years of our lives are spent in school, learning. Some people cannot wait to finish high school, while other people continue their education beyond high school. Different stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, administrators, policy makers) have very different ideas about how education should be run, who it benefits, what its purpose is, and how it should be paid for.

You’re writing this essay for a class, right? Go ahead and choose a topic about education and surprise your instructor.

Here are some topics you might be interested in writing about.

Should education in trades be more promoted?
Who should provide supplies for young students?
Should high schools teach financial skills?
Should the arts be part of elementary education?
Does cursive writing still need to be taught?
How should sex education be taught?
Should school funding be tied to standardized test scores?
Should charter schools, which are independent of the public school system and sometimes privately owned, continue to be publicly funded??
Should schools adopt pass/fail rather than letter grades?
Should physical education continue to be a class in school?

Who doesn’t have strong opinions about money? In the US, capitalism reigns supreme, but people are starting to wonder if that’s really the best system for our society. Is the American Dream still a possibility? What can be done about the growing wealth inequality? Should anything be done at all?

It seems that people who have money don’t think about it much, while people who don’t have money sometimes can’t think of anything else.

See any topics below that you’d like to explore?

Should the minimum wage be determined at the state level rather than at the federal level?
Should credit card companies offer credit to people without jobs?
Should there be a maximum wage as well as a minimum wage?
Is the stock market the best way to measure the overall health of the economy?
Should there be a wealth tax on the very rich?
Should there be Universal Basic Income?
Is it unethical to be a billionaire?
What should be done about growing wealth inequality in the US?
Is it true that money can’t buy happiness?
What is an accurate indicator of the state of the national economy?

You can’t live without it, so let’s talk about it! There are some people who don’t think much about food and only eat because they need to in order to stay alive (Who are those people?) For the rest of us, food is a topic we have very strong opinions about!

Is it lunchtime yet?

Here are a few ideas for your consideration.

Should high fructose corn syrup be eliminated from foods?
Should community gardens be subsidized?
Is eating local food better for the environment than eating vegetarian?
Does eating vegan help save the environment?
Is industrial farming unhealthy for both humans and animals?
Should picky eaters be encouraged to eat more diverse food?
Is eating meat unethical?
Should grocery stores and restaurants give away unused food instead of throwing it away?
What should be done about food deserts?
Are genetically modified foods safe for consumption?

Since the US is such a diverse nation that deciding the country’s rules and laws is a challenge. But these rules and laws are necessary for the smooth functioning of society. Everyone seems to have something to say about what our society’s priorities should be. What is the responsibility of society as a whole, versus the rights of an individual?

Do any of these choices sound appealing to you?

If a student is bullied, should the bully’s parents be fined?
Should the driving age be raised to 18?
Should gay couples not be allowed to adopt?
Should recycling be mandatory?
Should single parents be allowed to adopt?
Should marijuana be legalized in the US?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Should a woman always have the right to choose?
Should gun ownership be more regulated?
Should single mothers receive assistance from the government?

Before you turn in that paper, don’t forget to cite your sources in APA format , MLA format , or a style of your choice.

Didn’t find anything that interested you in the other categories? Try this list! These are all controversial hot-button topics that would make for interesting persuasive essays.

Remember that you should pick a topic you feel strongly about. Use those strong feelings to persuade your audience to agree with your position.

See anything you like here?

Is gender a socially constructed norm?
Is race a real biological distinction?
Are video games harmful?
What should be done about the separation of church and state?
Should pregnant couples be required to take parenting classes?
What can be done about domestic terrorist groups?
Should animal testing be abolished?
Should climate change be treated as a national emergency?
Should the Supreme Court be expanded?
What can be done about toxic masculinity?
What is the true cost of the Green New Deal?
Are segregated schools (all-boys schools, all-girls schools) more conducive to learning?
Should parents be able to opt their children out of standardized testing?
Is Blue Lives Matter a true/false equivalent to Black Lives Matter?
Should the patriarchy be smashed?
Why do people watch reality TV shows?
Is there an age when people shouldn’t be allowed to drive anymore?
Should the US spend as much as it does on its military?
What’s the problem with gerrymandering?
Should shaming (e.g., children, students, community members, etc.) be used as a form of discipline or punishment?
Choose a controversial topic you feel strongly about. Remember you need to convince your readers to agree with you, and that’s easier to do when you have a strong opinion.
Make sure you are clear on the reasons behind your opinion. You might feel strongly about something and not know why. If you don’t have reasons to support your opinion, it might not be a good topic for you to use.
Try to use emotional appeal to get your points across. Yes, you can use logic and authority for your reasons, but persuasion is more about using pathos (an appeal to emotion) than logos (logic) or ethos (ethics and values).
If you are drawing a blank and have no topic ideas, take a look at some of our suggestions below!

The topics are all framed as questions. It’s your answer to the question that will determine your position, either for or against.

For more persuasive help, check out these guides:

how to write a persuasive essay
persuasive essay outline
persuasive essay template
persuasive essay example

Some people use these two terms – persuasive and argumentative – interchangeably. However, there is a distinction.

A persuasive essay uses emotional appeal to convince the reader to agree with the author’s position on an issue. The author may also present reasoning based on ethical standards. Think of a persuasive essay like a commercial or an ad. You’re trying to convince your audience buy into your opinion.

An argumentative essay is built around logical reasoning and evidence. You try to convince someone to agree with your position by appealing to their sense of logic. You also need to address their counterarguments. Think of an argumentative essay like a debate. Bring in all the facts and authority to back up your position.

Make sure you follow your assignment guidelines so you know how you should be writing your persuasive essay! If you’re not sure, ask your instructor.

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112 Persuasive Speech Topics That Are Actually Engaging

What’s covered:, how to pick an awesome persuasive speech topic, 112 engaging persuasive speech topics, tips for preparing your persuasive speech.

Writing a stellar persuasive speech requires a carefully crafted argument that will resonate with your audience to sway them to your side. This feat can be challenging to accomplish, but an engaging, thought-provoking speech topic is an excellent place to start.

When it comes time to select a topic for your persuasive speech, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options to choose from—or your brain may be drawing a completely blank slate. If you’re having trouble thinking of the perfect topic, don’t worry. We’re here to help!

In this post, we’re sharing how to choose the perfect persuasive speech topic and tips to prepare for your speech. Plus, you’ll find 112 persuasive speech topics that you can take directly from us or use as creative inspiration for your own ideas!

Choose Something You’re Passionate About

It’s much easier to write, research, and deliver a speech about a cause you care about. Even if it’s challenging to find a topic that completely sparks your interest, try to choose a topic that aligns with your passions.

However, keep in mind that not everyone has the same interests as you. Try to choose a general topic to grab the attention of the majority of your audience, but one that’s specific enough to keep them engaged.

For example, suppose you’re giving a persuasive speech about book censorship. In that case, it’s probably too niche to talk about why “To Kill a Mockingbird” shouldn’t be censored (even if it’s your favorite book), and it’s too broad to talk about media censorship in general.

Steer Clear of Cliches

Have you already heard a persuasive speech topic presented dozens of times? If so, it’s probably not an excellent choice for your speech—even if it’s an issue you’re incredibly passionate about.

Although polarizing topics like abortion and climate control are important to discuss, they aren’t great persuasive speech topics. Most people have already formed an opinion on these topics, which will either cause them to tune out or have a negative impression of your speech.

Instead, choose topics that are fresh, unique, and new. If your audience has never heard your idea presented before, they will be more open to your argument and engaged in your speech.

Have a Clear Side of Opposition

For a persuasive speech to be engaging, there must be a clear side of opposition. To help determine the arguability of your topic, ask yourself: “If I presented my viewpoint on this topic to a group of peers, would someone disagree with me?” If the answer is yes, then you’ve chosen a great topic!

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for what it takes to choose a great persuasive speech topic, here are over one hundred options for you to choose from.

Should high school athletes get tested for steroids?
Should schools be required to have physical education courses?
Should sports grades in school depend on things like athletic ability?
What sport should be added to or removed from the Olympics?
Should college athletes be able to make money off of their merchandise?
Should sports teams be able to recruit young athletes without a college degree?
Should we consider video gamers as professional athletes?
Is cheerleading considered a sport?
Should parents allow their kids to play contact sports?
Should professional female athletes be paid the same as professional male athletes?
Should college be free at the undergraduate level?
Is the traditional college experience obsolete?
Should you choose a major based on your interests or your potential salary?
Should high school students have to meet a required number of service hours before graduating?
Should teachers earn more or less based on how their students perform on standardized tests?
Are private high schools more effective than public high schools?
Should there be a minimum number of attendance days required to graduate?
Are GPAs harmful or helpful?
Should schools be required to teach about standardized testing?
Should Greek Life be banned in the United States?
Should schools offer science classes explicitly about mental health?
Should students be able to bring their cell phones to school?
Should all public restrooms be all-gender?
Should undocumented immigrants have the same employment and education opportunities as citizens?
Should everyone be paid a living wage regardless of their employment status?
Should supremacist groups be able to hold public events?
Should guns be allowed in public places?
Should the national drinking age be lowered?
Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
Should the government raise or lower the retirement age?
Should the government be able to control the population?
Is the death penalty ethical?

Environment

Should stores charge customers for plastic bags?
Should breeding animals (dogs, cats, etc.) be illegal?
Is it okay to have exotic animals as pets?
Should people be fined for not recycling?
Should compost bins become mandatory for restaurants?
Should electric vehicles have their own transportation infrastructure?
Would heavier fining policies reduce corporations’ emissions?
Should hunting be encouraged or illegal?
Should reusable diapers replace disposable diapers?

Science & Technology

Is paper media more reliable than digital news sources?
Should automated/self-driving cars be legalized?
Should schools be required to provide laptops to all students?
Should software companies be able to have pre-downloaded programs and applications on devices?
Should drones be allowed in military warfare?
Should scientists invest more or less money into cancer research?
Should cloning be illegal?
Should societies colonize other planets?
Should there be legal oversight over the development of technology?

Social Media

Should there be an age limit on social media?
Should cyberbullying have the same repercussions as in-person bullying?
Are online relationships as valuable as in-person relationships?
Does “cancel culture” have a positive or negative impact on societies?
Are social media platforms reliable information or news sources?
Should social media be censored?
Does social media create an unrealistic standard of beauty?
Is regular social media usage damaging to real-life interactions?
Is social media distorting democracy?
How many branches of government should there be?
Who is the best/worst president of all time?
How long should judges serve in the U.S. Supreme Court?
Should a more significant portion of the U.S. budget be contributed towards education?
Should the government invest in rapid transcontinental transportation infrastructure?
Should airport screening be more or less stringent?
Should the electoral college be dismantled?
Should the U.S. have open borders?
Should the government spend more or less money on space exploration?
Should students sing Christmas carols, say the pledge of allegiance, or perform other tangentially religious activities?
Should nuns and priests become genderless roles?
Should schools and other public buildings have prayer rooms?
Should animal sacrifice be legal if it occurs in a religious context?
Should countries be allowed to impose a national religion on their citizens?
Should the church be separated from the state?
Does freedom of religion positively or negatively affect societies?

Parenting & Family

Is it better to have children at a younger or older age?
Is it better for children to go to daycare or stay home with their parents?
Does birth order affect personality?
Should parents or the school system teach their kids about sex?
Are family traditions important?
Should parents smoke or drink around young children?
Should “spanking” children be illegal?
Should parents use swear words in front of their children?
Should parents allow their children to play violent video games?

Entertainment

Should all actors be paid the same regardless of gender or ethnicity?
Should all award shows be based on popular vote?
Who should be responsible for paying taxes on prize money, the game show staff or the contestants?
Should movies and television shows have ethnicity and gender quotas?
Should newspapers and magazines move to a completely online format?
Should streaming services like Netflix and Hulu be free for students?
Is the movie rating system still effective?
Should celebrities have more privacy rights?

Arts & Humanities

Are libraries becoming obsolete?
Should all schools have mandatory art or music courses in their curriculum?
Should offensive language be censored from classic literary works?
Is it ethical for museums to keep indigenous artifacts?
Should digital designs be considered an art form?
Should abstract art be considered an art form?
Is music therapy effective?
Should tattoos be regarded as “professional dress” for work?
Should schools place greater emphasis on the arts programs?
Should euthanasia be allowed in hospitals and other clinical settings?
Should the government support and implement universal healthcare?
Would obesity rates lower if the government intervened to make healthy foods more affordable?
Should teenagers be given access to birth control pills without parental consent?
Should food allergies be considered a disease?
Should health insurance cover homeopathic medicine?
Is using painkillers healthy?
Should genetically modified foods be banned?
Should there be a tax on unhealthy foods?
Should tobacco products be banned from the country?
Should the birth control pill be free for everyone?

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original persuasive speech ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Do Your Research

A great persuasive speech is supported with plenty of well-researched facts and evidence. So before you begin the writing process, research both sides of the topic you’re presenting in-depth to gain a well-rounded perspective of the topic.

Understand Your Audience

It’s critical to understand your audience to deliver a great persuasive speech. After all, you are trying to convince them that your viewpoint is correct. Before writing your speech, consider the facts and information that your audience may already know, and think about the beliefs and concerns they may have about your topic. Then, address these concerns in your speech, and be mindful to include fresh, new information.

Have Someone Read Your Speech

Once you have finished writing your speech, have someone read it to check for areas of strength and improvement. You can use CollegeVine’s free essay review tool to get feedback on your speech from a peer!

Practice Makes Perfect

After completing your final draft, the key to success is to practice. Present your speech out loud in front of a mirror, your family, friends, and basically, anyone who will listen. Not only will the feedback of others help you to make your speech better, but you’ll become more confident in your presentation skills and may even be able to commit your speech to memory.

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to write a powerful, unique persuasive speech. With the perfect topic, plenty of practice, and a boost of self-confidence, we know you’ll impress your audience with a remarkable speech!

166 Argumentative Essay Topics

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Writing an argumentative essay is hard enough. But picking a good topic can sometimes get you stuck before you’ve even started.

Although it seems like a small part of the essay writing process, your topic idea can actually make or break your paper. Suppose the issue you’ve settled on doesn’t carry enough potential to be researched and explored from different sides. In that case, you may end up wasting a lot of time on unproductive work before you finally give up and try to find a better subject.

That’s why we compiled an extensive catalog of argumentative essay topics organized by subject matter that you can use for inspiration. Feel free to browse through all sections or jump to the area you’re looking for.

In this article:

Choosing a Great Argumentative Essay Topic

What makes a good argumentative essay topic, interesting and controversial, immigration, racism, and native american issues, science and research, technology and social media, health, medical, and nursing, psychology and mental health, music, popular culture, and other creative endeavors, funny, easy, and simple.

Before we jump into the lists, let’s go over what you need to look for in an essay topic.

Many students assume that they can pick an issue first and then think about their essay later. But that actually sets you up for potential disappointment. A topic may seem tenable or defensible at first, but once you dig a bit deeper, it may turn out the issue is settled beyond doubt, and there’s no real point in writing about it. It may also be a good idea to sketch out your argumentative essay outline and even draft a thesis statement before making a final decision about what you want to explore.

Here’s a helpful video that explains the importance of preliminary research:

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Another thing to consider is how fascinating the topic is for you . It’s great to engage your audience, but you can’t really be sure if an issue is captivating for your teacher or professor. But you can be entirely sure if it’s interesting to you. And the more you care about the subject you’ve chosen, the more enjoyable it will be for you to put in the work.

It may seem at first that you can write an essay about anything, so why bother thinking too much about the topic? Well, you can write about anything, but not everything you write can fit the requirements of your assignment. An argumentative essay has to fit a specific format and style, and the topic you pick has to conform to those. Here are a few main characteristics of a good argumentative essay topic:

If no one disagrees with the argument you’re trying to make, what’s the point of arguing about it? Trying to convince your audience that texting while driving is dangerous is a waste of time because the assumption is that most people don’t need convincing. That’s why it’s crucial to pick an issue with at least some validity on both sides.

If your topic is not specific enough, you can’t really make a good point one way or the other. Should we do more to protect animals? That depends—are we talking about rhinos or mosquitos? And who should do the protecting—governments or ordinary citizens? Drill down your topic to something you can make a definitive point about.

If you can’t find something to back your argument with, then maybe it’s purely a matter of opinion. Are pancakes better than pizza? Who’s to say? A good topic allows you to make a point based on facts. That said, defending an insupportable position is sometimes good practice for pure critical thinking and works great for impromptu assignments where there is no time for research.

Of course, after you’ve picked a topic, you still have to write the actual essay. Here’s a video to help guide you through the process:

166 Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas (Organized in Sections)

Below you’ll find a number of lists of argumentative essay topics organized in sections by subject matter. They range from sports to history and anything in between. Keep in mind that many of the issues have to do with more than one field of knowledge, so there is some overlap between sections.

You may notice that all of the topics are in the form of a question. We’ve done that to make them neutral towards the issue they touch upon, but for the purposes of an argumentative essay, you might want to convert them to a statement that conveys the claim you’ll support in your paper.

One of the best ways to ensure your audience is engaged in your essay is to choose a topic that’s, to some extent, contentious. Your teacher or professor is unlikely to doze off if the issue at hand is something that everyone has a strong opinion about. Controversy will make your job easier, too—it’s a lot more painless to do research and write when you have a genuine interest in the topic.

But there’s also a pitfall to hot-button topics, especially age-old ones. There’s a chance the arguments you choose have been made a thousand times already. That’s not to say you should never write about euthanasia or abortion. Just pick your ideas carefully and make sure they’re fresh and original to avoid making your audience yawn.

Below are a few controversial argumentative essay topics from across subject matters to give you inspiration:

Should human cloning be allowed?
Should abortion be subject to stricter regulation?
Should there be greater gun control?
Do video games cause violent behavior?
Should the death penalty be abolished?
Is torture justifiable as an interrogation technique?
Should there be any exceptions to free speech?
Did the #metoo movement go too far?
Is capitalism the only effective economic system?

Most topics on this page can work for any academic level in which students are already versed in research and persuasive writing. But in this section, we’ve collected issues specifically related to education and sorted them into the different stages of school. So besides college, here you’ll find topics that can be used by high school and middle school students.

For College

Below is a selection of argumentative essay ideas that have to do with college life. Is college worth it? Is it too expensive? Read on to find similar questions.

Should everyone go to college?
Is college education overrated?
Is college admission overly competitive?
Are Ivy League colleges worth the cost?
Has college tuition become too expensive?
Should family income play a role in determining who gets a scholarship?
Is a gap year beneficial or a waste of time?
Are some college majors more valuable than others?
What are the benefits of an MBA?
Is an online college degree as good as one from a brick-and-mortar college?

For High School

Here you’ll find a collection of topics related to high school and all of its triumphs and struggles—perfect for students in this age group.

Should schools be required to have security?
Is standardized testing helping or hurting students?
Does high school encourage creativity or conformity?
Should high school students work during the school year?
Should high school students be required to take drug tests?
Should arts education be voluntary in high school?
Should the senior year be voluntary?
Is prom overrated?

For Middle School

Middle school is a great time to start developing writing skills and the ability to make a strong argument. Here’s a list of topics on middle school that are bound to be relatable for students of that age.

Do teachers give middle school students too much homework?
Should energy drinks be banned for middle schoolers?
Should vending machines be banned in schools?
Is school cafeteria food too unhealthy?
Should middle school be single-sex or co-ed?
Is distant learning effective for middle school students?
Should students have a choice on what subjects to study in middle school?
Should learning a foreign language be required in middle school?

As a bonus, we’re including a special section on bullying—an ongoing problem at all school levels that’s always worth discussing, including in an academic paper.

Should schools do more to prevent bullying?
Should parents of bullies be held responsible for their children’s behavior?
Where is the line between pranks and bullying?
Do kids bully others because they are mistreated at home?
Is cyberbullying less harmful than real-life bullying?
How should cyberbullying be punished?

To make children write an essay, even if it’s just one page, you definitely need to give them a topic they care about. Here are a few ideas:

Is it ever acceptable to eat dessert before dinner?
Is it OK for kids to read grown-up books?
Should kids be allowed to watch grown-up movies?
Should children get paid when they get good grades?
Is it better to be a single child or to have siblings?
Do parents treat their daughters differently than their sons?
Should parents punish kids if they haven’t done their chores?

Whether you’re looking for a topic for your political science term paper or simply need a strong topic idea for your persuasive writing class, you’ll find something worth exploring in the list below.

Are US elections representative of the will of the people?
Should the voting age be lowered?
Should voting be mandatory?
Should the Electoral College be abolished?
Should corporations pay more taxes?
Should senators and house representatives have term limits?
Should recycling be mandatory?
Should prisoners be allowed to vote?
Should same-sex marriage be allowed?
Should healthcare be free for everyone?
Will universal basic income be beneficial for society?

Religious issues often elicit a strong response, but beliefs are not always subject to rational argumentation. Still, such topics often touch on society as a whole and can be great subjects for a paper.

Should creationism be part of the school curriculum?
Is religion responsible for war?
Is science an enemy of religion?
Should public prayer be banned in schools?
Should religion be taught in schools?
Should laws be affected by religion?
Should churches be required to pay taxes?

History is always up for debate, and there’s plenty of credible sources to explore, so if you need an essay topic for your history class, feel free to pick one from the list below.

As a bonus, we’ve added a couple of specialized subsections on World War 2 and American history.

Can we ever know the “truth” about historical events?
Is life better now than it was 100 years ago?
Have peaceful revolutions ever led to real change?
What caused the fall of the Roman Empire?
Was Julius Caesar a tactical genius or a deranged dictator?
Did European colonialism help or harm the colonized populations?
Did nuclear weapons help make the world safer or more dangerous?
Were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki the only way to end World War 2?
Should the US have stayed out of World War 2?
What caused the rise of Nazism in Germany?
Was Stalin’s rule more harmful than Hitler’s?
Could World War 2 have been avoided if Hitler had been admitted to art school?

American History

Who was the greatest US president of all time?
Could the Civil War have been avoided?
Was the Declaration of Independence a declaration of war?
Was the Constitution a proslavery document?
Should the US founding fathers who owned slaves be revered as much as those who didn’t?
How did Abraham Lincoln’s assassination affect Reconstruction?

Immigration, Racism, and Native American Issues

Here we have a group of issues that are often related, but we sometimes wish they weren’t. In any case, they’re an excellent opportunity to practice argumentative writing.

Should it be mandatory for Americans to speak English fluently?
Should immigrants who enter the US illegally be granted residency?
Should children of immigrants who enter the US illegally be entitled to public education?
Is affirmative action helping or hurting racial equality?
Should the US government pay reparations for slavery?
Is the Black Lives Matter movement equivalent to the Civil Rights movement?
Should Columbus Day be abolished and replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Should Native Americans be compensated for how settlers treated them?

Here you’ll find topics related to various scientific fields that you’re bound to find evidence on to build a solid research paper.

Should the government fund scientific research?
Should corporate interests influence scientists?
Do people have enough trust in science?
What is the biggest issue facing humanity that scientists should focus on the most?
Should we spend resources looking for alien life?
Is space travel worth the cost?
Do humans cause climate change?
Is fracking harmful to the environment?
Are scientific breakthroughs or government regulations a better solution to the environmental crisis?

Many issues around technology and social media are up for debate, so they can serve as an excellent basis for a persuasive essay.

Is technology helping or hurting society?
Has the internet caused more harm than good to society?
Are we becoming too dependent on computers?
Is technology making us more isolated?
Is AI dangerous for humanity?
Are smartphones dangerous?
Is social media helping us stay connected or making us more lonely?
Are social media companies responsible for the spread of fake news?
Does social media contribute to political radicalization?
Should Facebook be banned from collecting data from users?
Should people be allowed to stay anonymous online?

In this section, we’ve curated argumentative essay topics related to health and medicine that are worth exploring.

Should the morning-after pill be sold to underage teens?
What is the best way to fight the obesity epidemic?
Are GMOs dangerous?
Should there be limits on sugary drink sizes?
Is healthcare a fundamental human right?
Should assisted suicide be legalized?
Should doctors be banned from promoting drugs?
Should medical marijuana be legal?
Should parents be able to deny medical treatment for their children?
Are nurses compensated fairly?
Should nurses be allowed to prescribe drugs?
Is the nursing profession better suited for women?

If you’re struggling to come up with an argumentative essay topic for your psychology class, feel free to pick one from the list below.

Does screen time negatively affect children’s psyche?
Should psychotherapists inform the police if a client admits to breaking the law?
Do dreams have any meaning?
Is positive thinking helpful or harmful?
Can lie detectors ever be trusted?
Are projective tests such as inkblots reliable?
Can hypnosis help us remember forgotten events?
Is prejudice against different people inherent to humans?
Is anxiety ever helpful?

There’s no shortage of discussions surrounding sports, but they’re often too specialized to be interesting for the layman. Here are a few broad and contentious ones that can lay the grounds for a strong argumentative essay.

Should athletes be considered role models?
Should coaches make as much money as players?
Should athletes face repercussions if they don’t stand for the National Anthem?
Is football too dangerous?
Is sports betting different from casino gambling?
Is cheerleading a real sport?
Do sports rely too much on computer predictions nowadays?
Should performance-enhancing drugs be allowed in sports?

Music, Popular Culture, and Other Creative Endeavors

Here you’ll find argumentative essay topics related to music, films, and other art forms that shape today’s pop culture.

Is music getting better or worse over time?
Is listening to music an effective remedy against stress?
Are television shows an accurate representation of the American lifestyle?
Did the golden age of Hollywood pass?
Should celebrities be considered role models?
Should any artwork be censored?
Is art unique to humans, or can it be observed in other animals?

If you care about animals, you might want to write an argumentative paper on a topic related to animal welfare. Here are a few ideas:

Should animal research be banned?
Should zoos or aquariums be banned and replaced with wildlife reserves?
Should fur be banned?
Should we stop eating animals?
Should the government try to save endangered species?
Is hunting for sport justifiable, or should it be banned?
Do animals have emotions?
Do pets help kids learn to be caring and empathetic?

Sometimes you just don’t want to deal with complex and serious issues or excessive research. That’s why we curated a collection of light-hearted and easy argumentative essay topics.

Is complaining helping us deal with stress?
Is talent more important than hard work or vice versa?
How much compromise is OK in a relationship?
Should couples live together before getting married?
How important is it to keep your home clean and tidy?
At what age do you become an adult?
Are parents entitled to knowing everything about their kids?
How long is it acceptable to stay in a restaurant after finishing your meal?

Looking for a topic for a different type of essay? We’ve compiled a huge catalog in our Essay Topics page. If you want something that carries a stronger emotional charge for your paper, speech, or debate, you can also check out our list of Controversial Topics .

127 Funny Controversial Topics

121 Funny Debate Topics for Your Class

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay Topics

Last updated on: Dec 21, 2023

Persuasive Essay Topics Ideas to Craft an A-Worthy Essay

By: Caleb S.

11 min read

Reviewed By: Melisa C.

Published on: Jan 14, 2020

Are you having trouble starting to write a persuasive essay?

Can’t think of interesting persuasive essay topics to write on?

To help students like you find good persuasive essay topics, we have gathered a wide range of ideas on different subjects and academic levels.

Therefore, continue reading this blog and pick the best topic from the list for your essay.

On this Page

Persuasive Essay Topics for Students

The first step of writing a persuasive essay is to choose an interesting topic. If you are not sure what topic is best to write your persuasive essay on, this article is for you.

Here are some good topics for a persuasive writing assignment that will help you craft an interesting essay.

Persuasive Essay Topics for University Students

Should churches pay property taxes to support schools?
Teachers should also have to go through professional tests like students.
Social media should be banned on school premises.
Is getting a college degree worth its price?
How is home education better than studying at a school?
It shouldn’t be legal for students under 18 to drop out of school.
Students with good attendance must be rewarded.
Students with good academic results must get the opportunity to go to college free of cost.
The government shouldn’t have a say in how students should be taught.
Making the education sector free can decrease poverty rates. Is that true?

Persuasive Essay Topics for College

Wrestling is a dehumanizing sport.
Should all college students get a chance to experience fraternity or sorority?
Should there be an age limit that teachers can teach?Is taking a gap year from studies a good idea?
School students shouldn’t get assigned countless academic papers.
Reducing paper consumption can benefit nature largely.
The research paper is more effective to learn about the subject than exams.
Do you agree that the feminist movement devalued motherhood?
Do you think that the older generation can learn things from today’s generation?
International exchange program experience, I agree, is important in shaping a student.

Persuasive Essay Topics for High School

Is it possible for a person to overcome his fear?
Should students evaluate their teachers?
Is it ok to give extra incentives to students with good grades?
What are the pros and cons of using cell phones for academic purposes?
The social value of the death penalty in the United States.
School college students should write argumentative essays.
Who, in your opinion, influences the teenager's behavior the most?
Why are teen girls influenced by celebrities?
Should genetically modified foods be sold with a warning label?
All the arts have become commoditized.

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 9

Divorce isn’t always due to the absence of love.
Pornography should be banned in the United States.
How important is it for a child to grow up with two parents?
All students should be taught computer programming in school.
We should blame our horoscope for things that have gone wrong in our lives.
To get a perspective on life and what it is about, we should spend time with a kid.
How to control hazing on college campuses.Listening to music on school campuses shouldn’t be allowed.
There are drawbacks to studying abroad.Stricter punishments should be imposed on downloading music and movies illegally.

Persuasive Essay Topics for Middle School

Kindness is beautiful.
Do you agree?Pros and Cons of summer classes.
School computers must have internet filters.
Participation in school sports must be mandatory for students.
Bullying in schools requires severe punishments.
Should there be any flexibility with the policies for illegal immigrants?
Why should every school have a school newspaper?
Are we the real culprits of global warming?
Do violent video games make children more likely to be violent themselves?
The internet was invented to control our lives. Do you disagree?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 6

Is toothpaste healthy?
Churches should pay taxes.
What is the role of the media in sports life?
Adopting pets is the best choice.Fairy tales are good for young children.
Should our country have free healthcare?
Fizzy drinks should be banned from school.
Free time gets teens into trouble.
The best way to travel is in a guided group.Should nuclear power be used?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 7

Should a college education be free?
We should provide food for the poor.
Is it a good idea to keep pets outdoors?
What school rules would you change?
Hunting is not ethical in any life situation.
Should horse racing be banned?
My allowance should be bigger.
Bullies have no place in schools.
Computer design isn’t art.
Yoga supports the body and soul.

Persuasive Essay Topics for Grade 8

Having more than four kids is irresponsible.
Is art a natural talent, or takes hard work and practice to learn?
Choose a life partner who has the same educational level as you.
Drinking while driving penalties must be much stricter.
College students must consider joining a fraternity or sorority.
Standardized tests are increasing for school students.
Studying at a public school is better than studying at a private school.
Wives shouldn’t make more money than their husbands.
We should teach etiquette in schools.
Is it justified for a person to demand a divorce from their spouse?

Persuasive Essay Topics for Kids

Are vampires real?
Time travel is possible.
Global warming is just a way to scare people.
Healthcare systems should be free.
Computers don’t make us smarter.
Animal abuse is a result of an uneducated owner.
The importance of going to the dentist frequently.
Discuss the pros and cons of summer classes.
Nobody should litter.
What is the best way to persuade someone?

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Persuasive Essay Topics About Animals

Do you agree with the statement, “Animal testing is a necessary evil?
”People shouldn’t be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets.
Zoos are useful for wildlife conservation.
Zoo animals should be harvested for food.
Is creating hybrids by breeding stray dogs and cats okay?
What is the best way to train a dog: rewards or punishments?
Is it beneficial to give cows drugs to increase their milk supply?
Using animal skin to make coats and bags is unethical.
Reforestation is the only way to save animals from becoming extinct.
Conserving endangered species is much more essential than the conservation of other animals.

Funny Persuasive Essay Topics

What would happen if unicorns took over the world?
The worst movie in the world.
The worst social network site.
Why does the beach have tanning booths?
Good video game skills can land you a job.
Why do you enjoy getting spam emails more than actual emails?
Is it true that wearing braces scares off strangers?
Playing with Barbie dolls can change your life.
How to look busy and do nothing at work.
Do you agree with the statement, "Boys gossip more than girls do?"

Sports Persuasive Essay Topics

College athletes dedicate a lot of time to sports, and they should be paid.
Female students should be encouraged to participate in sports as much as male students.
How can the school management improve this situation?
Wimbledon is not as prestigious anymore.
Importance of sports.
Gender discrimination is a big issue in sports competitions.
Girls can play and compete at the same level as boys their age.
Bodybuilding has severe risks for females.
Physically active kids make physically active adults.
Therefore, parents and teachers should encourage taking part in sports.
According to you, who is the best FIFA player?
What can other players do to become like him?
Energy drinks such as Red Bull have harmful effects on the human body.
Therefore, athletes must stop consuming them.

Controversial Persuasive Essay Topics

Polygamy should be legalized in the United States.
Having a lesbian mother can have adverse effects on a daughter.
Torture is a necessity for monstrous crimes such as murder, rape, etc.
The world would be a better place if everyone followed a single religion.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide should be made legal in every state.
Online plagiarism is a serious problem. What actions need to be taken to stop it?
High school and college surveillance isn’t ethical, nor is it safe.
It should be stopped immediately.
Is it ethical to prescribe drugs?
How can we put an end to school bullying?
It isn’t fair to the band members to have less power and control than the music producers.

Unusual Persuasive Essay Topics

Is alcoholism a disease?
Is having a pet waste of time?
Is capital punishment necessary?
Art should serve as a symbol of culture, and be returned to its country if it was taken from there.
Young people only think about money. Agree?
Living in university dormitories is an essential step to help you achieve academic success.
Pharmaceutical industries are disrupting our lives.
People are wasting their money on lotteries and it isn't worth the risk.
Is having friends such a necessity?
Transgenic foods: What are you for or against?

Higher English Persuasive Essay Topics

Why should the government ban sports bet?
A family should encourage self-expression, not inhibit it.
The impact of TV cartoons on children's behavior should be controlled by their parents.
English language learning should not be a requirement for anyone.
There are many reasons e-books should not replace paper books.
Cheating during college exams should be strictly punished.
Teaching deaf children how to read is a vital part of their mental development.
Fast food is a bad invention.
Drug tests should be mandatory for high school sportspeople.
School uniforms are an effective way to maintain discipline with students.

Easy Persuasive Essay Topics

Paparazzi culture must get banned.
Kids should be taught about different religions and then have them choose.
Using earphones while driving must not be allowed.
Everyone under the age of 7 should have a 9 pm curfew.
Celebrities who break the law should have bigger penalties.
Drug dealers selling drugs to kids should face the death penalty.
The government should start a three-day weekend.
Introducing grades for gym classes can help fight obesity.
The government should keep better control of the content being shared on the internet.
Kids need a personal space similar to adults.

Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Punishment for cutting school should be made much worse.
Parents who smoke shouldn’t tell their kids about its harmful effects.
The major cause of obesity in America is fast-food chains.
Women perform better than men in managerial posts.
To improve the quality of education, the number of classes must be decreased.
Should parents buy young kids gadgets for studies and learning purposes?
Paparazzi culture should be banned. It puts lives in danger.
A gap year after high school should be made compulsory.
Optimism is key to good health.
Persuasive speeches should be powerful.

Interesting Persuasive Essay Topics

Pros and Cons of having school all year long.
Participating in sports must be made compulsory for every student.
Men are smarter than women.
Consumption of tea is more harmful than coffee.
Luck is an important part of success.
Spanking kids should be a crime.
Kidnapping by parents is a serious problem nowadays.
The solution to the energy crisis is nuclear power.
Male and female employees should have the same working privileges and environment.
Homeschooling is better than going to a regular school.

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Persuasive Essay Topics 2022

Should the jury system be eradicated?
Biological weapons should be banned.
The next generations should live on Mars.
Is governmental surveillance a good thing?
Children under 18 shouldn’t be allowed to buy contraceptives.
Teen moms should be made to go to classes that encourage them to get married.
Sex education should occur at home.
Educating women is a waste of resources.
Everyone should have free access to the internet in today's day and age.
Theoretical subjects should be decreased, and students should study more practical courses to learn things.

How to Choose a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Writing your persuasive essay means more than simply arguing the facts. However, you need to settle on a persuasive essay topic that allows you to present the best possible case.

You won’t be able to do that if you write a persuasive essay on a topic that is:

Emotionally-charged
Too familiar
Not interesting for the target audience
Factual, and you avoid analysis or reasoning

Here’s what you should do when choosing your essay topics :

Take a stand
Check for evidence and facts
Make a list of specific ideas
Outline the purpose of your essay
Choose an accessible topic
Find a topic that convinces the reader

Hopefully, you have found a good persuasive essay idea by this point and are heading towards the writing process. However, if you’re overwhelmed by the requirements of writing a persuasive and argumentative paper or you’re short on time, we are here to help.

5StarEssays.com is one of the top essay writing services with professional essay writers who deliver high-quality academic writing at the most affordable prices. You only have to request to write an essay for me and our professional writers help you.

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Persuasive Essay Guide - How to Write a Persuasive Essay

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Table of Contents

A persuasive essay is a type of writing where your primary purpose is to convince the reader that your opinion is correct.

It can be applied to a wide variety of disciplines; in fact, persuasive writing can be used in any writing format, be it a college persuasive essay, an article, a promotional copy or a personal letter.

As you will see from our presentation, the choice of persuasive essay topics largely depends on the format of writing – as well as the writer’s maturity.

One thing remains unchanged, though, and it is the educational value of this type of essay.

It helps students build a set of strong skills, such as the capacity of forming and grounding one’s opinion, engage in debates and provide logical reasoning supporting their stance.

Persuasive essay topics: where to start?

When you are tasked with writing a persuasive essay, and if you have a free choice of the subject, we insist that you should pick a topic that you are well-versed in, and preferably passionate about.

In the very least, this should be something you can relate to. If you have a specific topic to write on, make sure you carry out elaborate research to make strong and informed points.

The structure of a persuasive essay could be roughly outlined as follows:

Think of a topic you can argue for or against.
Write up 5-6 arguments that will convince the reader that your opinion is right.
Read a professional persuasive essay and see how it is written to be inspired and mimic the layout!
The entire persuasive essay is going to be built around the thesis, therefore it is of paramount importance to write it in a concise and clear way.

The secret behind the thesis

A persuasive essay should begin with a thesis, where the reader is immediately told what your article is about. In the thesis, you explain your position on the question you have chosen to rewrite.

It is the main purpose of your entire essay, and you will devote the whole text to convincing the reader that you are right.

To awaken the reader’s interest, you can write your thesis as an exclamation or question that you repeat or answer at the end of your article.

Supporting arguments for your thesis

Now you have explained your position, you should prove that you are right! You do this by listing your arguments, or reasons why you think you are doing.

Arguments can be divided into two main groups:

(1) Emotional arguments – based on your own feelings and thoughts. Feeling arguments are very personal and strong. The aim of the emotional argument is to awaken the reader’s feelings. In other words, the reader should preferably start crying out of your emotional argument…

(2) Factual arguments – based on pure facts. The factual arguments are objective, clear and at the same time very convincing to the reader, especially if you can refer to where you got your facts from. To convince the reader in the best way, your essay must include both emotional and factual arguments. The emotional argument causes your opinion to sound passionate, while the factual arguments give concrete reasons why you feel like you are doing to the reader.

To convince the reader in the best way, use both types of arguments!

An argument in response to counter-argument

A really good debater doesn’t just think of themselves, but also of his opponents! You do this by taking counter-arguments, or reasons why you should not think that you do yourself.

This makes your persuasive essay look very thought out, which also makes it more reliable. The purpose of including opponents’ opinions, for you as an author, is to clearly show that they are not correct.

In order to succeed in this, you must choose the opponent’s best argument and disassemble it and defeat it using your own arguments.

The golden rule states that factual arguments must be answered with factual arguments, and in the same way, an emotional argument must be answered with an emotional argument.

How to craft a persuasive essay conclusion?

In the end, the reader should get an overview. Summarize the most important and above all, repeat your strongest argument! The last part of your discussion article should contain a convincing answer to your thesis. Sometimes it can be effective to reason about the consequences if you do not do what you think.

The purpose of this is to give the argument a proper final clamp and convince the reader once and for all. The best effect is achieved by ending strongly and confidently; for that reason, you need to think about being brief.

Just as with the number of arguments you have in the article, the conclusion becomes more powerful if it is short and clear.

Persuasive essay topics for kids

Books are better than TV.
Zoos are prisons for animals.
School attendance should be optional.
Home assignments should be banned.
Is there life on Mars?

Persuasive essay topics middle school

Education is impossible without teachers.
Should computers replace teachers?
Do we need a school uniform?
Is reading a new trend or a thing of the past?
Mobile phones should be used at school.

Persuasive essay topics for high school

Death penalty should be banned. Do you agree?
Why should your parents let you attend the concert of your favorite music band?
Why should teachers allow pupils to choose their seat place?
Video games help childhood development.
Convince your parents to buy you a mobile phone. Support your request with good arguments.

Persuasive essay topics 5th grade

E-books in a not too distant future can change our way to read. Do you agree?
Imagine having to convince your parents to buy you the scooter. Write your thesis in an argumentative text, remember to insert the possible objections of the teachers and come to a conclusion.
Electronic mail compared to the traditional one. Which one is better?
Parents should give children more freedom. True or false?
Curfews are a good practice for children to abide by.

Persuasive speech topics for college

Transgenic foods: are you for or against?
Are you in favor or against hunting? Express your opinion with appropriate arguments.
Human cloning: are you in favor or against it?
The Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun in his book “Racism explained to my daughter” says: “A child is not born a racist”. Do you agree with this statement?
History teaches us to predict the future.

Persuasive speech topics for college students

Alcoholism: a disease or a vice?
Citizenship income should be adopted by every state.
The G20 countries, to save the planet from global warming, must adopt more ambitious global CO2 emission reduction targets than those of the Paris Accords.
The abolition of homework, a measure recently introduced in France, should be adopted by every school system to combat early school drop-outs.
Caloric and fat-rich foods, commonly called junk food, should be taxed more than “healthy foods”.

Interesting persuasive essay topics

Love and age difference.
The friendship between man and woman: a myth or reality?
Is having friends such a necessity?
Is having a pet waste of resources?
Can love last forever?

Easy persuasive essay topics

A countryside or urban life?
Social networks have improved our lifestyle.
Working is needed for being happy.
All sorts of lotteries should be made illegal.
Is it possible to be a success by only playing it fair?

Funny persuasive essay topics

Should cats or dogs rule the world?
Your Zodiac sign determines your personality.
Santa’s policies are largely discriminating.
Socials favor stalking tendencies.
YouTube makes you a superstar overnight.

Controversial persuasive essay topics

Ethnic adoptions: pro or con?
Pharmaceutical industries are disrupting our lives.
Abortion should be legal around the world.
Animal testing should be made illegal.
Genetic cloning is not ethical.
Capital punishment pros and cons.
Euthanasia should be legalized.
Immigration laws should be made stricter.

Best persuasive essay topics

Kids should be brought up in a stricter manner.
Works of art should be returned to their respective countries of origin.
The young only think about money. Do you agree?
A real vacation is when one doesn’t do anything.
Friends count as much as a family.

Chose the best topic from the list but have a hard time moving away from blank paper? We can help you out! Few clicks and your perfect essay is on the way to you, while you sit back and relax.

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How human activities can have an impact on natural disasters?

Research Paper Topics for 2024: Explore Ideas Across Various Fields

When you start writing a research paper, it’s like diving into a big pool of exploration and analysis. A good research paper goes beyond just gathering facts. It’s more about exploring a topic, asking the right questions, and coming up with thoughtful answers. Whether you're looking at historical events, scientific discoveries, or cultural trends, the trick is to find interesting research topics that catch your interest and keep you motivated throughout the process.

This article is here to help with that sometimes tricky job of picking a topic. We’ll cover a variety of interesting research topics from different areas, making it easier for you to find one that not only fits your assignment but also grabs your attention.

But let’s be honest, picking the right topic isn’t always easy. If you’re still unsure after reading this article, EssayService is a great place to turn for help, whether you need assistance choosing a topic or writing the entire paper.

How to Pick a Topic for a Research Paper

Choosing the right topic can make or break your research paper. Here's how to make it easier:

Start with your interests: Pick a few areas or subjects that genuinely interest you. Narrow it down to the one that excites you the most. If you’re interested, it’ll show in your writing.
Check for resources: Before committing, do a quick search to ensure there are enough references available. You’ll want a topic that’s well-discussed so you have plenty of material to work with.
Stick to guidelines: Make sure your topic fits within any guidelines your teacher has set. Whether it's avoiding certain subjects or meeting specific requirements, this step is crucial for getting your paper off to a good start.

If you’re looking for easy research paper topics, keep these tips in mind to ensure you choose one that’s both manageable and engaging.

What Are Good Research Topics?

Choosing a successful research topic isn’t just about what sounds interesting — it’s about finding a topic that will help you produce a strong, insightful paper. Good research topic ideas should tick a few key boxes to ensure they’re both impactful and manageable.

Feature	Description
🔍 Specific and Focused	Narrow down broad areas like “climate change” to something more specific, like “the impact of urban development on local microclimates.” This gives your research a clear direction.
✨ Unique Angle	Instead of rehashing well-covered topics like “social media and mental health,” explore a niche, such as “the effects of social media detox on productivity in college students.”
🌍 Significant Impact	Choose topics that matter, like “renewable energy adoption in developing countries,” which could contribute to important discussions in your field or society.
📚 Accessible Sources	Make sure there’s enough material available by checking databases for studies on topics like “the history of vaccine development” to ensure you have the resources you need.
🔥 Current and Relevant	Focus on emerging issues, such as “the role of AI in cybersecurity,” which are timely and likely to interest both readers and reviewers.

Best Research Paper Topics for 2024

In 2024, new challenges and innovations are shaping the world around us, making it an exciting time to dive into research. Here are 15 detailed and highly relevant topics that will keep your paper ahead of the curve:

The impact of remote work on urban development in major U.S. cities.
Ethical implications of AI-driven decision-making in healthcare.
The role of social media algorithms in shaping public opinion during elections.
Effects of climate change on global food security and crop yields.
The influence of blockchain technology on supply chain transparency.
Mental health outcomes related to long-term social media use among teenagers.
Renewable energy adoption in emerging economies and its impact on local communities.
The rise of electric vehicles and its effect on traditional automotive industries.
Privacy concerns surrounding the use of biometric data in consumer devices.
The evolution of cybersecurity threats in the age of quantum computing.
Gender disparities in STEM education and their long-term effects on the workforce.
The economic impact of climate migration on coastal regions.
Implications of CRISPR technology in human genetic modification.
The effectiveness of universal basic income trials in reducing poverty.
The role of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare in rural areas.

College Research Paper Topics

These topics explore some of the most relevant and intriguing issues facing college students today, offering plenty of angles to explore in your research:

How student loan debt shapes career paths and financial stability after graduation.
Comparing online learning to traditional classrooms: What works best for today’s college students?
Social media’s influence on mental health and academic success among college students.
Diversity and inclusion: How initiatives are changing campus life and student experiences.
University sustainability efforts: How climate change is driving new campus policies.
The rise of esports: Transforming college athletics and student engagement.
Campus housing: How living arrangements affect academic success and student retention.
Balancing part-time jobs with academics: The impact on college students’ grades and well-being.
Navigating controversial topics: The importance of academic freedom in college debates.
Digital vs. traditional libraries: How technology is reshaping student research habits.
Study abroad programs: Enhancing global awareness and boosting future career opportunities.
Evaluating campus mental health services: Are they meeting students’ needs?
Fraternities and sororities: Examining their influence on college culture and student life.
Free college tuition: Exploring the economic and social outcomes in different countries.
Standardized testing: How it’s affecting college admissions and the diversity of student bodies.

Research Paper Topics By Subject

Choosing a good research topic that aligns with your academic focus can make your work more relevant and engaging. Below, you’ll find topics organized by subject to help you get started.

Research Paper Topics on Health

Health is a dynamic field with ongoing developments and challenges, making it a rich area for research. These topics cover a range of health-related issues, from public health policies to advancements in medical technology:

How COVID-19 has changed the approach to mental health care.
Adoption rates of telemedicine among different age groups.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Exploring new treatment options.
Barriers to healthcare access in low-income neighborhoods.
Ethical dilemmas in using genetic testing for personalized treatments.
Success rates of mental health programs in high schools.
Comparing dietary patterns in managing type 2 diabetes across cultures.
Teen vaping trends and their connection to lung health issues.
Strategies for supporting healthcare needs in rapidly aging populations.
Tracking climate-related health issues in coastal communities.
Innovations in vaccine development for emerging diseases.
Social isolation during pandemics and its link to anxiety disorders.
Recent changes in U.S. healthcare laws and their influence on patient choices.
Exploring how traditional beliefs shape approaches to medical treatment.
Evaluating progress in global vaccination campaigns against childhood diseases.

Research Paper Topics on Medicine

Medicine is a vast field with plenty of areas to explore. Here are some specific topics that focus on medical advancements, practices, and challenges:

New techniques in minimally invasive surgery for heart conditions.
Developments in gene therapy for treating inherited diseases.
Challenges in diagnosing and treating rare diseases.
The role of AI in improving diagnostic accuracy in radiology.
Progress in personalized cancer treatments based on genetic profiling.
The rise of antibiotic alternatives in treating infections.
Stem cell research advancements for spinal cord injuries.
Managing chronic pain: Exploring non-opioid treatment options.
Trends in telemedicine for rural healthcare delivery.
Breakthroughs in vaccine technology for emerging viruses.
Long-term outcomes of organ transplants in pediatric patients.
Advances in robotic surgery and their impact on patient recovery.
New approaches to treating drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Innovations in prenatal care and fetal surgery techniques.
The future of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Research Paper Topics on Media

Explore the ever-changing world of media with these fresh and relevant topics. Each one dives into the trends and challenges shaping how we consume and create content today.

Analyze the impact of TikTok on modern marketing strategies.
Investigate the role of influencers in shaping public opinion during elections.
Explore the effects of streaming services on traditional cable TV viewership.
Examine how social media platforms handle misinformation and its consequences.
Study the rise of podcasts and their influence on news consumption.
Compare the portrayal of mental health in TV shows across different cultures.
Track the evolution of digital journalism and its impact on print media.
Look into the ethics of deepfake technology in video production.
Research the effects of binge-watching on viewer behavior and mental health.
Explore the relationship between video game streaming and the gaming industry.
Analyze the shift from traditional news outlets to social media for breaking news.
Investigate how algorithms curate personalized content and influence user behavior.
Study the changing landscape of advertising in the age of ad-blockers.
Examine the role of memes in political discourse and cultural commentary.
Explore the use of virtual reality in media and entertainment.

Research Paper Topics on Politics

Politics is a field that’s constantly evolving, with new issues and debates emerging all the time. Whether you're interested in global dynamics, domestic policies, or the role of technology in politics, there’s no shortage of interesting topics to explore:

How social media is influencing voter behavior in recent elections.
The rise and impact of grassroots movements on political change.
Fake news and its role in shaping public perception of political events.
The effects of immigration policies on relationships between countries.
Populism’s growth in global politics and what it means for the future.
How economic inequality contributes to political instability.
The power of political lobbying in creating and shaping laws.
Challenges faced by democracies under authoritarian regimes.
Youth activism and its growing influence in modern politics.
How climate change policies are impacting national security.
The role of technology in improving election security and voter turnout.
Government approval ratings and their connection to pandemic responses.
Influence of international organizations on a country’s domestic policies.
Shifts in global trade agreements and their effects on international relations.
The impact of gerrymandering on election results and fairness.

Research Paper Ideas on Technology

Technology is rapidly transforming our world, offering endless opportunities for research. Here are some intriguing ideas to explore:

The ethics of artificial intelligence in decision-making processes.
How blockchain technology is revolutionizing financial transactions.
The role of 5G networks in shaping the future of communication.
Cybersecurity challenges in the era of smart homes and IoT devices.
The environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining.
Virtual reality’s influence on education and training programs.
How autonomous vehicles are changing urban planning and infrastructure.
The potential of quantum computing in solving complex global problems.
Social media algorithms and their impact on public discourse.
The digital divide: Access to technology in rural versus urban areas.
How wearable tech is transforming personal health management.
The implications of deepfake technology in media and politics.
The future of remote work and its long-term effects on productivity.
Advancements in drone technology for disaster management and rescue operations.
The role of big data in personalizing online shopping experiences.

Research Topic Ideas on Culture

Whether you’re interested in examining specific cultural practices or looking at how modern trends reshape traditional customs, these research topics will provide you with a focused and detailed starting point:

Adoption of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies in contemporary urban settings.
Practices of food preservation among Inuit communities in the Arctic.
The revival of Celtic languages in Wales and Ireland through education programs.
Depiction of queer relationships in Netflix original series from 2015 to 2024.
Evolution of traditional African hairstyles in Black communities across the U.S.
Transformation of street art in Berlin post-German reunification.
Cultural significance of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexican-American neighborhoods.
Popularity of Korean skincare routines among Western beauty bloggers.
Modern interpretations of Norse mythology in Scandinavian literature.
Changes in wedding rituals among Indian diaspora in the UK.
Resurgence of indigenous Australian painting techniques in contemporary art.
Representation of disability in children’s books published in the last decade.
Use of traditional Māori patterns in New Zealand’s fashion industry.
Changes in burial customs in urbanized areas of Southeast Asia.
Incorporation of First Nations symbols in Canadian public architecture.

Research Paper Topics on Math

If you're looking to explore the depth and applications of math, these research topics are both specific and engaging:

Applications of fractal geometry in modeling natural phenomena.
Mathematical approaches to solving complex optimization problems in logistics.
Development of new algorithms for large-scale data encryption.
Mathematical modeling of population dynamics in ecology.
The use of game theory in economic decision-making processes.
Exploring the mathematics behind machine learning algorithms.
Advancements in numerical methods for solving partial differential equations.
Topological data analysis and its applications in computational biology.
Mathematical analysis of voting systems and fairness.
The role of number theory in modern cryptography.
Predictive models for financial markets using stochastic calculus.
Mathematical foundations of quantum computing and quantum algorithms.
Applications of chaos theory in weather prediction.
Geometry of space-time in the context of general relativity.
Mathematical techniques for analyzing big data in social networks.

Research Paper Topics on Art

Art is full of fascinating details and stories waiting to be explored. If you’re into art research, here are some research topics that might catch your interest:

How Caravaggio used light and shadow in his religious paintings.
The way Cubism shaped Picasso’s "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon."
Gustav Klimt’s "The Kiss" and its ties to Viennese culture.
Hokusai’s woodblock techniques in "The Great Wave off Kanagawa."
Bauhaus principles that still influence graphic design today.
Emotions and color in Mark Rothko’s abstract paintings.
Leonora Carrington’s role in the Surrealist movement.
Gaudí’s architectural genius in designing La Sagrada Familia.
Industrial scenes captured in Charles Sheeler’s Precisionist art.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s take on graffiti and cultural identity.
Frida Kahlo’s evolving self-portraits through her life.
Claude Monet’s unique use of light in his Impressionist works.
Diego Rivera’s murals as powerful political statements.
The simplicity and impact of Donald Judd’s minimalist sculptures.
How African art influenced Henri Matisse during his Fauvist period.

Research Topics on Sports

Sports offer a wide range of topics that are both intriguing and highly relevant. Here are some specific research ideas to consider if you're looking to explore the world of sports:

The biomechanics behind sprinting techniques in elite athletes.
The psychological effects of team sports on adolescent development.
Injury prevention strategies in professional football (soccer).
The impact of altitude training on endurance performance in marathon runners.
Gender equity in sports: The evolution of women’s participation in the Olympics.
The role of nutrition in recovery and performance for endurance athletes.
How advanced analytics are changing strategies in basketball.
The effects of early specialization in youth sports on long-term athletic development.
The influence of sports media coverage on public perceptions of athletes.
Technology in sports: The use of wearable devices to monitor athlete performance.
Doping scandals and their long-term impact on athletes' careers.
Mental health challenges faced by retired professional athletes.
The economics of hosting major sporting events like the World Cup or Olympics.
How climate change is affecting outdoor sports events and training schedules.
The evolution of sports science in enhancing athlete training programs.

In 2024, some of the most popular research topics include the impact of technology on sports, the psychological aspects of team dynamics, and the evolution of gender equity in athletics.

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15 Persuasive Essay Topics About Controversial Issues
The federal minimum wage is $7.25, and it's been there since 2009. With the Fight for $15 movement is gaining steam around the country, this would make a great persuasive writing topic. What once seemed kind of crazy is slowly becoming more realistic. First, some progressive cities took the lead, like Seattle.
100+ Topics for Argumentative Essays and Debates
Need to write an argumentative essay? Preparing for an upcoming debate? ProCon.org has over 100 topics complete with pro and con arguments, quotes and statistics from experts, historical information, and other pertinent research. Abortion - Should abortion be legal? Alternative Energy - Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
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Try our student writing prompts. In 2017, we compiled a list of 401 argumentative writing prompts, all drawn from our daily Student Opinion column. Now, we're rounding up 130 more we've ...
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List of 16 Good Persuasive Essay Topics and Writing Prompts. Below is a list of 16 interesting persuasive essay topics and a brief elaboration on the arguments you can make on them. There's plenty of information online on each of these, so it's not difficult to build a strong argument. Keep in mind that our topics for essays and speeches ...
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So if you're looking for such a topic for your essay, speech, or debate, you've come to the right place! We've compiled a list of hundreds of controversial issues organized by subject matter (You can visit our page on how to write a persuasive controversial essay if you want to improve your base skills). Whether you're trying to come up ...
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These controversial persuasive essay topics reflect this. iPhone Is an Uncomfortable and Highly Overrated Phone. Cloning Must Be Provided for Acceptable Prices to Grieving Families. Drones Could Be Used for Turning Wars into Soldier-less Fights. Wi-Fi Has Many Serious Drawbacks & Should Be Used with Care.
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In conclusion, persuasive essays are an effective way to communicate ideas and influence others' opinions. Writing a persuasive essay requires choosing the right topic that interests you, and you feel passionate about. Hopefully, this list of 100+ controversial persuasive essay topics has inspired you to select a topic that is thought-provoking, interesting, and engaging.
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Pro #3: Controversial Issues Capture Attention. Tackling a subject like mass incarceration, the death penalty, or abortion is a good way to get your audience to sit up and take notice. People want to hear your opinion to see how it does—or doesn't—match their own.
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50 Argumentative Essay Topics. Illustration by Catherine Song. ThoughtCo. An argumentative essay requires you to decide on a topic and argue for or against it. You'll need to back up your viewpoint with well-researched facts and information as well. One of the hardest parts is deciding which topic to write about, but there are plenty of ideas ...
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Beginner Topics. Kids should get paid for good grades. Students should have less homework. Snow days are great for family time. Penmanship is important. Short hair is better than long hair. We should all grow our own vegetables. We need more holidays. Aliens probably exist.
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List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics. Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you'll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, "should fracking be legal?" you'd decide whether you believe fracking should ...
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10 Fun Persuasive Speech Topics. Fun topics are a great way to get people to listen to what you have to say, because when they are entertained they listen more carefully. Fun topics also help the speaker be more at ease, because the topics are more relaxed. Below follow 100 topics that you can have fun with while persuading your audience. .
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College Persuasive Essay Topics: Medicine. Strong pain killers should be sold by prescription only. Drug prices should be set ethically. Herbal medications are the safest. Self-medication is extremely dangerous, even in the case of a simple cold or an allergy. Differentiating various forms of medicines is essential.
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10 Best Persuasive Essay Topics. Including the most interesting, thought-provoking and unique topics, this section contains the ten best persuasive essay topics out there. All problems facing humanity could be fixed with better technology. Embalming is a dangerous practice. Euthanasia should be illegal.
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Persuasive essay topics can be about controversial subjects, but they are different from argumentative essay topics in several key ways. ... Remember that Good Persuasive Essay Topics Are Like Advertising. The purpose of all advertising is to persuade you—the consumer—to buy products or services. Companies spend billions of dollars on ...
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A persuasive essay uses emotional appeal to convince the reader to agree with the author's position on an issue. The author may also present reasoning based on ethical standards. Think of a persuasive essay like a commercial or an ad. You're trying to convince your audience buy into your opinion.
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Controversial Persuasive Essay Topics. Polygamy should be legalized in the United States. Having a lesbian mother can have adverse effects on a daughter. Torture is a necessity for monstrous crimes such as murder, rape, etc. The world would be a better place if everyone followed a single religion.
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Controversial persuasive essay topics; Best persuasive essay topics; A persuasive essay is a type of writing where your primary purpose is to convince the reader that your opinion is correct. It can be applied to a wide variety of disciplines; in fact, persuasive writing can be used in any writing format, be it a college persuasive essay, an ...
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Below, you'll find topics organized by subject to help you get started. Research Paper Topics on Health. Health is a dynamic field with ongoing developments and challenges, making it a rich area for research. These topics cover a range of health-related issues, from public health policies to advancements in medical technology:

15 Persuasive Essay Topics About Controversial Issues

List of Persuasive Essay Topics and Writing Prompts

Should the Government Ban or Regulate Indecency on Television?

Should Voters Be Required to Show Identification?

Should Race Be a Factor in Admissions to Universities?

Should the Government Limit the Amount of Money Spent on Political Campaigns?

Should the Government Publicly Finance Campaigns?

Should the United States Intervene When Foreign Dictators Use Chemical Weapons on Their Own People?

Should the Federal Government Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 per hour?

Should Congress Require Annual Standardized Tests in Schools?

Should the United States Grant Asylum to Refugees?

Should the Government Have Access to Encrypted Devices and Communications Platforms?

Should the Federal Government Permit or Ban the Death Penalty?

Should Hate Speech Be Protected by the First Amendment?

Should the Government Send a Manned Mission to Mars?

Should the Federal Government Have to Balance the Budget?

Should the Voting Age be Lowered to 16?

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