A good controversial opinion splits a room down the middle. Say "pineapple belongs on pizza" to a group of ten people and you will get five groans, five cheers and a proper argument, which is exactly what you want when you need to wake up a class, warm up a meeting or practise debating skills.
Here are 120 controversial opinions on food, films, fashion, travel, work, school and technology, in nine rounds of short sets you can pick and mix. We have left out religion, politics and personal relationships, so people can disagree and still laugh afterwards. There is one catch worth knowing before you start: in Solomon Asch's classic experiments, people went along with a group's clearly wrong answer on about one trial in three (Asch, Scientific American, 1955). That is why the tips below get everyone to vote before anyone speaks. If you need weightier motions for a formal debate, see our controversial debate topics.
Quick facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many opinions are on this list? | 120, in nine rounds |
| Are they suitable for school and work? | Yes, religion, politics and relationships are left out |
| What is the best way to use them? | As debate motions, icebreakers or a quick agree-or-disagree poll |
| Can I run them live? | Yes, with a live poll on AhaSlides so everyone votes from their phone |
What is a controversial opinion?
A controversial opinion is a view that goes against what most people accept, or one where people are split roughly down the middle. It is not the same as a wrong opinion. Many of the best debate motions sound silly at first ("breakfast for dinner is the best meal of the day") but make people explain why they believe what they believe, which is a useful skill in its own right.
Round 1: everyday debates
Set 15 opinions
- The Beatles are overrated.
- Tea is better than coffee.
- Friends is a mediocre TV show.
- Making your bed every morning is a waste of time.
- Harry Potter is not a great book series.
Set 25 opinions
- There are better holidays than Christmas.
- Chocolate is overrated.
- Podcasts are better to listen to than music.
- Android phones are better than iPhones.
- Ice cream is better in winter than in summer.
Set 35 opinions
- Onion rings are better than chips.
- Board games are more fun than video games.
- Reading the book first always ruins the film.
- Summer is the worst season.
- Handwritten notes are better than typed ones.
Our pick: "Tea is better than coffee", because it splits a room instantly and everyone already has a side.
Round 2: fun opinions
Set 15 opinions
- The dress is white and gold, not blue and black.
- Coriander (cilantro) tastes like soap.
- Sweet tea is better than unsweetened tea.
- Breakfast for dinner is the best meal of the day.
- Hard-shell tacos are better than soft ones.
Set 25 opinions
- Sparkling water is better than still water.
- Frozen yoghurt is not real ice cream.
- Pineapple belongs on pizza.
- Toilet roll should hang over, not under.
- The US version of The Office is better than the UK original.
Set 35 opinions
- Watermelon is an overrated fruit.
- Marvel films are better than DC films.
- Cats make better pets than dogs.
- Cereal is a soup.
- A hot dog is a sandwich.
Our pick: "Pineapple belongs on pizza", because it is the classic, and it gets even the quietest person talking.
Round 3: food opinions
Set 15 opinions
- Ketchup does not belong on eggs.
- Sushi is overrated.
- Avocado toast is a waste of money.
- Mayonnaise ruins sandwiches.
- Pumpkin spice everything is overrated.
Set 25 opinions
- Coconut water tastes terrible.
- Lobster is not worth the price.
- Nutella is overrated.
- Oysters are not worth the hype.
- Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh ones.
Set 35 opinions
- Popcorn is a bad cinema snack.
- Sweet potatoes are not better than regular potatoes.
- Green smoothies taste awful.
- Red velvet cake is just chocolate cake dyed red.
- Vegetables taste better raw than cooked.
Our pick: "Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh ones", because it sounds trivial, but people bring real cooking experience to it.
Round 4: films and TV
Set 15 opinions
- The Fast and Furious films are not worth watching.
- The Exorcist is not scary.
- The Godfather is overrated.
- The Star Wars prequels are better than the original trilogy.
- Citizen Kane is dull.
Set 25 opinions
- Marvel Cinematic Universe films all feel the same.
- The Dark Knight is overrated.
- Romantic comedies are all the same.
- Superhero films are not real cinema.
- The Harry Potter films do not live up to the books.
Set 35 opinions
- The Matrix sequels are better than the original.
- Wes Anderson films are pretentious.
- The Silence of the Lambs is a thriller, not a horror film.
- Remakes are almost always worse than the original.
- Binge-watching a series ruins it; one episode a week is better.
Our pick: "The Star Wars prequels are better than the original trilogy", because fans on both sides are guaranteed, and they all have evidence.
Round 5: fashion
Set 14 opinions
- Leggings are not trousers.
- Crocs are fashionable.
- Socks and sandals can look good.
- Skinny jeans are out of style.
Set 24 opinions
- Wearing pyjamas in public is unacceptable.
- Matching outfits with a friend or partner is cute.
- Dress codes are unnecessary.
- You do not need a suit for a job interview.
Set 34 opinions
- Wearing real leather is unethical.
- Designer labels are a waste of money.
- Trainers go with everything, including suits.
- Fast fashion should be banned.
Our pick: "Socks and sandals can look good", because nobody sits on the fence about this one.
Round 6: travel
Set 14 opinions
- Luxury resorts are a waste of money.
- Budget travel is the only way to experience a culture.
- Long-term travel is not realistic for most people.
- "Off the beaten path" destinations are more authentic.
Set 24 opinions
- Backpacking is the best way to travel.
- Cruises are bad for the environment.
- Travelling for social media photos is shallow.
- You should learn some of the local language before you visit a country.
Set 34 opinions
- All-inclusive resorts are not real travel.
- Flying first class is a waste of money.
- Taking a gap year is impractical.
- Travelling with young children is more stress than it is worth.
Our pick: "Travelling for social media photos is shallow", because it invites honest stories, not just a yes or no.
Round 7: work and school
Set 15 opinions
- Homework should be banned.
- School uniforms should be scrapped.
- Exams do not measure intelligence.
- Everyone should learn to code at school.
- Group projects do more harm than good.
Set 25 opinions
- A four-day working week would make people more productive.
- Most meetings could have been an email.
- Working from home is more productive than working in an office.
- Open-plan offices should be abolished.
- Cameras should be optional on video calls.
Set 34 opinions
- Nobody should reply to work messages after hours.
- Degrees matter less than experience.
- Pay should be public within a company.
- Team-building days are a waste of time.
Set 44 opinions
- School should start later in the morning.
- Every student should learn a second language.
- Handwriting should still be taught in schools.
- Students should be allowed to use AI tools for homework.
Our pick: "Most meetings could have been an email", because it gets quick agreement and quick pushback, and it leads to a useful chat about how your team works.
Round 8: deep questions
Set 14 opinions
- There is no such thing as objective truth.
- We are living in a simulation.
- Reality is a subjective experience.
- Time is an illusion.
Set 24 opinions
- Free will does not exist.
- Dreams can predict the future.
- Teleportation will one day be possible.
- Time travel is possible.
Set 34 opinions
- True randomness does not exist.
- We live in a multiverse.
- Ignorance is bliss.
- Luck matters more than hard work.
Our pick: "Luck matters more than hard work", because it lets people share life experience without getting personal.
Round 9: technology
Set 16 opinions
- Smartphones should be banned in schools.
- Social media does more harm than good.
- Self-driving cars will never be safe enough.
- Paper books are better than e-readers.
- AI-generated art is not real art.
- Children under 13 should not have their own phone.
Our pick: "AI-generated art is not real art", because it is current, and artists and non-artists tend to disagree.
Two opinions with science behind them
The dress that divided the internet in February 2015 was reported by The Christian Science Monitor to be a blue and black dress from the British retailer Roman Originals, so white-and-gold fans are wrong about the dress, if not about what they saw. And people who taste soap in coriander are not imagining it: a 2012 genetic study of about 14,600 people of European ancestry, replicated in a second group of about 11,900, linked the soapy taste to a genetic variant near a cluster of smell receptor genes, including one called OR6A2.
How to discuss controversial opinions respectfully
Picking the opinion is the easy part. How you run the discussion decides whether people leave energised or annoyed. Oxfam's Teaching controversial issues guide collects strategies and activities for exactly this, and a few ground rules go a long way:
- Agree the rules first. Criticise ideas, not people, and let everyone finish their point.
- Start light. Open with a food or film opinion before moving to anything deeper, so the group gets used to disagreeing.
- Let people vote before anyone speaks. Asch's one-in-three result shows how easily a group's first answers sway the rest, so a private vote gives quieter people a better chance of sharing a minority view.
- Make sure nobody is the only dissenter. Asch also found that people were far more likely to stick to their own answer once even one other person disagreed with the majority, so show the vote split and ask who is on the other side.
- Ask for reasons, not just sides. "Why?" turns a shouting match into a debate.
- Close with a re-vote. Asking the same question at the end shows whether anyone changed their mind, and why.
Ways to host a controversial opinions debate for a group
Reading opinions out loud works for a small group, but in a classroom or a large meeting the loudest voices take over. These AhaSlides slide types give everyone a say:
| Slide type | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Poll (Pick Answer) | Put the opinion on a live poll with "Agree" and "Disagree" and let people vote from their phones before anyone speaks. |
| Rating Scale | Ask "How strongly do you agree, from 1 to 5?" to see which opinions are truly divisive and which are mild. |
| Open Ended | Follow up with "Why did you vote that way?" so you can read out the strongest arguments on both sides without putting anyone on the spot. |
| Word Cloud | A word cloud asking "What is the most overrated food?" gets a room laughing within a minute. |
| Spinner Wheel | Load the opinions into a spinner wheel and let chance pick the next debate. |
| Anonymous Q&A | An anonymous Q&A lets people challenge a point without the social risk of raising their hand. |
Run the same poll again at the end to see whether the debate changed any minds. For more prompts in the same spirit, try our this or that questions or these interesting topics for discussion.
Frequently asked questions
What are good controversial opinions for a classroom?
Light, low-stakes ones about food, films, school and technology work best. Try "homework should be banned" or "school should start later" from round 7, then ask students to give a reason for their vote.
Why is it useful to talk about controversial opinions?
It teaches people to listen, explain their reasoning and change their minds when they hear a better argument. Light topics such as food or films are a low-stakes way to practise before tackling harder issues.
When should you avoid controversial topics?
Avoid them when feelings are already running high, when the topic touches someone's identity or personal circumstances, or when there is no time to discuss it properly. A rushed debate on a sensitive topic tends to leave people more divided than before.
How do you handle a controversial discussion that gets heated?
Stay calm, remind the group of the ground rules and steer back to reasons rather than people. Moving to an anonymous vote or written responses for a few minutes often lowers the temperature, because nobody has to defend their view in front of the room.
