--- title: "Emerging and Developing Nations Want Freedom on the Internet" description: "Survey Report There is widespread opposition to internet censorship in emerging and developing nations. Majorities in 22 of 24 countries surveyed say it is important that people have access to the internet without government censorship. In 12 nations, at least seven-in-ten hold this view. Support for internet freedom is especially strong in countries where a […]" date: "2014-03-19" authors: - name: "No Author" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/03/19/emerging-and-developing-nations-want-freedom-on-the-internet/" categories: - "Platforms & Services" datasets: - name: "Spring 2013 Survey Data" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2013-survey-data/" --- # Emerging and Developing Nations Want Freedom on the Internet ## Survey Report [![Most Want Uncensored Internet Access](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Internet-Censorship-Opinions1.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/03/19/emerging-and-developing-nations-want-freedom-on-the-internet/internet-censorship-opinions1/) There is widespread opposition to internet censorship in emerging and developing nations. Majorities in 22 of 24 countries surveyed say it is important that people have access to the internet without government censorship. In 12 nations, at least seven-in-ten hold this view. Support for internet freedom is especially strong in countries where a large percentage of the population is online. And, in most of the countries polled, young people are particularly likely to consider internet freedom a priority. These are among the main findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 21,847 people in 24 emerging and developing economies from March 3, 2013 to May 1, 2013. All interviews were conducted face-to-face. Opposition to government restrictions on the internet is especially common in several of the Latin American nations surveyed, including Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Bolivia. It is also widespread in the Middle Eastern nations of Lebanon and Egypt. Support for internet freedom tends to be strong in nations with high rates of internet penetration, such as Chile and Argentina, where roughly two-thirds of the population is online. It is less common in nations with lower penetration rates, like Indonesia and Uganda. [![Support for Internet Freedom Linked to Internet Usage](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Internet-Censorship-Opinions2.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/03/19/emerging-and-developing-nations-want-freedom-on-the-internet/internet-censorship-opinions2/) Some nations, such as Venezuela and Egypt, have higher levels of support for internet freedom than might be anticipated, given the degree of online penetration in the country. Meanwhile, support is lower than might be expected in Russia and Pakistan, given the percentage of people who use the internet in those two nations. Other Pew Research surveys have also found relatively low support for democratic rights and institutions in Russia and Pakistan.[1. See [Two Decades After the Wall's Fall: End of Communism Cheered but Now with More Reservations](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/), released November 2, 2009, and [Most Muslims Want Democracy, Personal Freedoms, and Islam in Political Life: Few Believe U.S. Backs Democracy](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2012/07/10/most-muslims-want-democracy-personal-freedoms-and-islam-in-political-life/), released July 10, 2012.] Another caveat in interpreting the results for Pakistan is that a large percentage of respondents (62%) offer no opinion on this question. Opinions are also strongly related to age. In 14 nations, people ages 18-29 are more likely than those 50 or older to believe an uncensored internet is important. Age gaps of 20 percentage points or more are found in Russia, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bolivia and Senegal. These age differences suggest that support for internet freedom will only become more widespread with the passage of time. [![Age Related to Views of Internet Freedom](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Internet-Censorship-Opinions3.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2014/03/19/emerging-and-developing-nations-want-freedom-on-the-internet/internet-censorship-opinions3/) Nonetheless, people ages 50 and older do tend to support internet freedom. In most countries surveyed, a majority of this age group says having internet access without government interference is important. In several countries, internet freedom has especially strong backing among the well-educated. For example, 73% of Tunisian college graduates say it is important to have internet access without government censorship, compared with 54% of those without a college degree. Double-digit gaps are also found in six other countries. And in several nations, those with higher incomes are particularly likely to consider this a priority. For instance, 71% of high-income Kenyans say internet freedom is important, compared with 44% of people in the low-income category. Nearly eight-in-ten Russians in the high-income category (78%) believe it is important, while only 52% of those with low incomes hold this view. ## ## Survey Methods Results for the survey are based on face-to-face interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Survey results are based on national samples. For further details on sample designs, see below. The descriptions below show the margin of sampling error based on all interviews conducted in that country. For results based on the full sample in a given country, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus the margin of error. In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls. **** | Country: | Argentina | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by locality size | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 6 - March 26, 2013 | | Sample size: | 819 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.7 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding dispersed rural population, or 8.8% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Bolivia | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by department and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 12 - April 18, 2013 | | Sample size: | 800 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.5 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding dispersed rural population, or 10% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Brazil | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by Brazil's five regions and size of municipality | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Portuguese | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - April 21, 2013 | | Sample size: | 960 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.1 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Chile | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - March 19, 2013 | | Sample size: | 800 | | Margin of Error: | +/-5.2 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding Chiloe and other islands, or 3% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Egypt | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by governorates and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Arabic | | Fieldwork dates: | March 3 - March 23, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding Frontier governorates, or about 2% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | El Salvador | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by department and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | April 18 - May 1, 2013 | | Sample size: | 792 | | Margin of Error: | +/-5.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Ghana | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and settlement size | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Akan (Twi), English, Dagbani, Ewe | | Fieldwork dates: | March 20 - April 3, 2013 | | Sample size: | 799 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.7 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Indonesia | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by province and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Bahasa Indonesian | | Fieldwork dates: | March 9 - March 27, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.0 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding Papua and remote areas or provinces with small populations, or 12% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Jordan | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by Jordan's 12 governorates and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Arabic | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - March 23, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.5 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Kenya | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by province and settlement size | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Kiswahili, English | | Fieldwork dates: | March 13 - March 30, 2013 | | Sample size: | 798 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Lebanon | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by Lebanon's seven regions and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Arabic | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - March 22, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.0 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding a small area in Beirut controlled by a militia group and a few villages in the south of Lebanon, which border Israel and are inaccessible to outsiders, or about 2% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Malaysia | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by state and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Malay, Mandarin Chinese, English | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - April 3, 2013 | | Sample size: | 822 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding difficult to access areas in Sabah and Sarawak, or about 7% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Mexico | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - March 17, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.1 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Nigeria | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo | | Fieldwork dates: | March 6 - April 4, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,031 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.0 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding Borno, Yobe and some areas in Taraba, or about 5% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Pakistan | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by province and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi | | Fieldwork dates: | March 11 - March 31, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,201 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir for security reasons as well as areas of instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [formerly the North-West Frontier Province] and Baluchistan, or roughly 18% of the population). Disproportionately urban. The data were weighted to reflect the actual urbanity distribution in Pakistan. | | | **** | Country: | Palestinian territories | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urban/rural/refugee camp population | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Arabic | | Fieldwork dates: | March 29 - April 7, 2013 | | Sample size: | 810 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.4 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding Bedouins who regularly change residence and some communities near Israeli settlements where military restrictions make access difficult, or roughly 5% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Philippines | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Ilocano, Bicolano | | Fieldwork dates: | March 10 - April 3, 2013 | | Sample size: | 804 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.5 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Russia | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by Russia's eight regions plus Moscow and St. Petersburg and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Russian | | Fieldwork dates: | March 5 - March 21, 2013 | | Sample size: | 996 | | Margin of Error: | +/-3.6 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding High North regions, the Chechen Republic, and the Ingush Republic, or about 3% of the population) | | | **** | Country: | Senegal | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Wolof, French | | Fieldwork dates: | March 6 - March 30, 2013 | | Sample size: | 800 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.1 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | South Africa | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by metropolitan area, province and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | English, Zulu, Xhosa, South Sotho, Afrikaans | | Fieldwork dates: | March 18 - April 12, 2013 | | Sample size: | 815 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.1 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Tunisia | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by governorate and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Tunisian Arabic | | Fieldwork dates: | March 4 - March 19, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.0 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Turkey | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by the 26 regions (based on geographical location and level of development (NUTS 2)) and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Turkish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 5 - March 24, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-7.7 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Uganda | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and urbanity | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Luganda, English, Runyankole/Rukiga, Luo, Runyoro/Rutoro, Ateso, Lugbara | | Fieldwork dates: | March 15 - March 29, 2013 | | Sample size: | 800 | | Margin of Error: | +/-4.3 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population | | | **** | Country: | Venezuela | | Sample design: | Multi-stage cluster sample stratified by region and parish size | | Mode: | Face-to-face adults 18 plus | | Languages: | Spanish | | Fieldwork dates: | March 15 - April 27, 2013 | | Sample size: | 1,000 | | Margin of Error: | +/-3.5 percentage points | | Representative: | Adult population (excluding remote areas, or about 4% of population) |