Under the protection of the Constitution’s First Amendment, citizens have the right to freely express their opinions, but many believe that their freedom of speech should be restricted if their speech hurts others.
A joint survey conducted in late February by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and Dartmouth College’s Institute on Polarization showed that 31% of adults surveyed said the First Amendment “goes too far in protecting rights “
about a thirdRepublican Partypeople and a thirdDemocratic PartyPeople completely or mostly agree with this opinion.
A number of controversial comments have been made under the protection of the First Amendment, including “All white peopleCasteismAt 19% of respondents, the majority considered “”,” to be the most offensive. Subsequently, 18% believed that “the United States received appropriate retribution for the 911 incident”, 12% believed that “the Capitol riot on January 6 was a peaceful protest”, and 11% Believed that “abortion should be completely illegal”, etc. These are the most objectionable comments. It was even thought that it should be censored.
Sean Stevens, FIRE’s chief research adviser, said that while the results are disappointing, they are not surprising. But he could not explain why so many people support censoring offensive views.
The survey also found that 52% of respondents said the most offensive comments should be banned in public speech and campaigning. Another 69% believe universities should not allow teachers who promote offensive speech to teach.
When asked “Can people freely express their opinions,” 69% said that freedom of speech in the United States is going in the wrong direction, while 31% believe that freedom of speech is going in the right direction. Is on the way. Only 25% described the current right to freedom of expression as “very” or “completely” safe, while 29% said it was not “at all” safe.
About half of Democrats and 26% of Republicans believe free speech is moving in the right direction. More than a third of Republicans say free speech is safe, compared to 17% of Democrats.
Researchers report that partisan hostility toward free speech is threatening the stability of the American political system. Polarization not only divides Americans on policy, but also undermines free speech, a cornerstone of democracy.
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