60 Persuasive Essay Topics

Needs persuasive essay topics and prompts? We’ve got 60 persuasive essay topics that will give students an opportunity to craft persuasive essays and/or arguments for oral debate. Our persuasive essay topics are designed to spark critical thinking and can be modified for students in elementary, middle and high school. They are grouped by topic for easy student and teacher reference. Feel free to print the entire list of persuasive essay topics for plenty of inspiration for your next persuasive or argumentative essay assignment!

Society and Culture Persuasive Essay Topics

Have humans become too dependent on technology?

  1. Persuasive Essay Topic: Who contributes more to modern society: teachers or doctors?
  2. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should gaming and casinos be legalized in all states?
  3. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is the use of pesticides in farming worth the health risks?
  4. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is the idea of the “American Dream” still attainable in today’s society?
  5. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should parents be held accountable/responsible for what their children post on social media websites?
  6. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should corporations be required to engage in responsible citizenship, including environmental accountability?
  7. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is the Electoral College system still effective?
  8. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are zoos important and necessary sources of conservation and research or outdated displays of exotic animals?
  9. Persuasive Essay Topic: What means of producing electricity has the least harmful impact on the environment?
  10. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should the government be required to provide health insurance to all its citizens?
  11. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should the drinking age be lowered?
  12. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should guaranteeing medical care to all citizens be a responsibility of the government?
  13. Persuasive Essay Topic: Does the general population have the right to access information about the private lives of politicians?
  14. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should there be mandatory water rationing during drought conditions?
  15. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should there be a reinstatement of the military draft?
  16. Persuasive Essay Topic: Who was the most effective American president?
  17. Persuasive Essay Topic: Who is the most effective current political leader outside of America?
  18. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should there be body scanners at airports to detect weapons?
  19. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is it more effective to volunteer your time or to donate your money to a cause you support?
  20. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should corporations be allowed to collect an individual’s personal data from social media sources without their consent?
  21. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are current methods of discouraging cyberbullying and harassment effective?
  22. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should the government have access to tracking information through our mobile devices?
  23. Persuasive Essay Topic: Who should bear the responsibility for making change in a society: individual citizens or elected officials?

Schools and Education Essay and Speech Topics

  1. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are private school vouchers helping our society to provide a quality education for all?
  2. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is more effective: coed education or single-gender schools?
  3. Persuasive Essay Topic: Do colleges put too much stock in standardized test scores?
  4. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should students be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning at school?
  5. Persuasive Essay Topic: What role should current events play in a child’s school curriculum?
  6. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is the impact of school uniforms?
  7. Persuasive Essay Topic: Does extended recess time have a positive impact on student health and learning?
  8. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should sign language be taught to all students as a second language?
  9. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should high schools have a later start time?
  10. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should schools ban the use of cell phones by students during school hours?
  11. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is the impact of assigning nightly homework to students?
  12. Persuasive Essay Topic: During which grade should students begin to receive homework assignments?
  13. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is the role social media should have in the school environment?
  14. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is more effective, a year-round school calendar or a traditional nine-month calendar?
  15. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should school officials be allowed to search students’ lockers and personal possessions?
  16. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should students be grouped by age or by ability in school classrooms?
  17. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is the most important subject taught in school?
  18. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are there any academic benefits to the study of video games?
  19. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are current methods of school discipline effective?
  20. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should higher education be free for all admitted students?
  21. Persuasive Essay Topic: Are standardized tests an accurate measure of student learning or ability?
  22. Persuasive Essay Topic: What are the most effective ways to curb school bullying?
  23. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is a college degree a requirement for success in life?

Personal Choices and Personal Values Essay and Speech Topics

  1. Persuasive Essay Topic: Which makes a better pet, a dog or a cat?
  2. Persuasive Essay Topic: Have reality television shows changed people’s television viewing habits?
  3. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is the best book you have ever read, and why was it so good?
  4. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is it better to give or to receive?
  5. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is it still important to teach manners and etiquette to children?
  6. Persuasive Essay Topic: When should children be permitted to have their own cell phones?
  7. Persuasive Essay Topic: If you won the lottery and could only donate the money to charity, which cause would you choose and why?
  8. Persuasive Essay Topic: Which lifestyle is more conducive to a happy life, urban living or country living?
  9. Persuasive Essay Topic: Should children be limited to the number of hours they are allowed to play video games every week?
  10. Persuasive Essay Topic: If you could time travel, would it be better to visit the past or the future?
  11. Persuasive Essay Topic: Is it better to be a night owl or an early bird?
  12. Persuasive Essay Topic: Do opposites really attract?
  13. Persuasive Essay Topic: What is more important: earning a large salary or doing work that benefits other people?

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