---
title: "Americans’ views of offensive speech aren’t necessarily clear-cut"
description: "About six-in-ten U.S. adults (62%) say that “people being too easily offended by things others say” is a major problem in the country today."
date: "2024-08-09"
authors:
  - name: "J. Baxter Oliphant"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher "
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/baxter-oliphant/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/09/americans-views-of-offensive-speech-arent-necessarily-clear-cut/"
categories:
  - "Discrimination & Prejudice"
  - "Free Speech & Press"
  - "Political Ideals & Systems"
---

# Americans’ views of offensive speech aren’t necessarily clear-cut

About six-in-ten U.S. adults (62%) say that “people being too easily offended by things others say” is a major problem in the country today.

In a separate question, 47% say that “people saying things that are very offensive to others” is a major problem, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand Americans’ views on whether offensive speech – and people being too easily offended by what others say – are major problems for the country. For this analysis, we surveyed 8,709 U.S. adults from April 8 to 14, 2024.

Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the [ATP’s methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/our-methods/u-s-surveys/the-american-trends-panel/). Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/SR_24.08.09_offensive-speech_topline.pdf), along with responses, and its [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/06/cultural-issues-2024-election-methodology/).

[![A bar chart showing that Republicans and Democrats differ in their concerns about offensive speech.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/SR_24.08.09_offensive-speech_1.png?w=620)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/09/americans-views-of-offensive-speech-arent-necessarily-clear-cut/sr_24-08-09_offensive-speech_1/)

There are substantial differences in these views between Republicans and Democrats.

- Eight-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say people being too easily offended by what others say is a major problem. By comparison, 45% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the same.

- In contrast, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say that people saying things that are very offensive is a major problem in the country today. A 59% majority of Democrats say this, compared with 34% of Republicans.

Looking at Americans’ views on these two questions together, **about a third (32%) say that people being too easily offended by things others say *and* people saying very offensive things to others are both major problems.**

[![A bar chart showing that about a third of Americans say people being offensive and being too easily offended are both major problems.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/SR_24.08.09_offensive-speech_2.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/09/americans-views-of-offensive-speech-arent-necessarily-clear-cut/sr_24-08-09_offensive-speech_2/)

About as many Americans (30%) say people taking offense too easily is a major problem, but very offensive speech is not. A much smaller share (15%) say that people saying very offensive things is a major problem, but people too easily taking offense isn’t. And another 23% say that neither is a major problem in the country.

**Sizable shares within both parties say both issues are major problems – 30% of Republicans and 32% of Democrats say this.**

However, half of Republicans, compared with just 12% of Democrats, say people being too easily offended is a major problem, but people saying very offensive things isn’t. Slightly more than half of conservative Republicans (53%) hold this combination of views, along with 44% of moderate and liberal Republicans.

By contrast, about a quarter of Democrats (26%) – and a third of liberal Democrats – say people saying very offensive things is a major problem, but people being too easily offended is not. Just 4% of Republicans hold this combination of views.

Another 29% of Democrats, but just 15% of Republicans, say neither of these is a major problem.

**There are also significant demographic differences in attitudes about offensive speech.**

#### Race and ethnicity

[![A dot plot showing that race and gender differences in opinions about offensive speech.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/SR_24.08.09_offensive-speech_3.png?w=620)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/09/americans-views-of-offensive-speech-arent-necessarily-clear-cut/sr_24-08-09_offensive-speech_3/)

While at least half of Americans across racial and ethnic groups say being too easily offended is a major problem in the country, White adults are particularly likely to say this. Nearly two-thirds of White adults (65%) say this is a major problem, as do 59% of Hispanic, 59% of Asian and 50% of Black adults.

No more than about one-in-ten in any of these groups say people getting offended too easily is *not* a problem in the country today.

Conversely, Black (63%), Asian (58%) and Hispanic (55%) adults are more likely than White adults (42%) to say that people saying very offensive things to others is a major problem.

#### Gender

Men (62%) and women (63%) are about equally likely to say people being too easily offended is a major problem.

But women (54%) are far more likely than men (40%) to say offensive speech is a major problem.

**Within political parties, there are some differences by gender, race and ethnicity on these questions.**

On whether people being too easily offended is a major problem:

- Hispanic Republicans (71%) are less likely than White Republicans (83%) to say this is a major problem. (The sample size for Black and Asian Republicans is too small to evaluate these groups individually.)

- There are no gaps between men and women in either party.

On whether offensive speech is a major problem:

- Democratic and Republican women are more likely than men in their parties to say offensive speech is a major problem. Among Democrats, 63% of women and 54% of men say this. And in the GOP, 43% of women and 27% of men say the same.

- While roughly two-thirds of Black (67%), Hispanic (65%) and Asian Democrats (64%) say this is a major issue, a narrower majority of White Democrats (54%) share that view.

*Note: This is an update of a post originally published Dec. 14, 2021. Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/08/SR_24.08.09_offensive-speech_topline.pdf), along with responses, and its [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/06/cultural-issues-2024-election-methodology/).*