But what do the people of PNG think about Bougainville independence? As a start, we included a question about Bougainville independence in the 2025 annual survey of UPNG students. Even in the Islands region, which might be expected to be more sympathetic to Bougainville independence, a majority of students were in fact opposed. Male students were more likely to support greater autonomy (62% vs 52%) and women were more likely to be unsure (15% vs 9%). In summary, this survey of some almost 400 UPNG students found widespread opposition to Bougainville independence.