Americans Value Press Freedom but Differ on Its Limits
Many people in the U.S. say some press freedom restrictions are OK when weighed against concerns about false information or national security.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Quiz: How much do you know about the First Amendment?
How well do you know the First Amendment, including press freedom and other rights? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz.
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Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say politicians should avoid heated or aggressive speech
Most Americans (78%) say elected officials should avoid using heated or aggressive language because it could encourage some people to take violent action.
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Americans see Republicans growing more comfortable, and Democrats less, with sharing their views
Four-in-ten U.S. adults say Republicans are very comfortable expressing their political views, and 36% say the same about Democrats.
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Americans remain concerned about press freedoms, but partisan views have flipped since 2024
A majority of Democrats (60%) are highly concerned about press freedoms – about double the share of Republicans (28%).
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Free Expression Seen as Important Globally, but Not Everyone Thinks Their Country Has Press, Speech and Internet Freedoms
Across 35 countries, there are some disconnects between how people rate the importance of free expression and how free they feel they actually are.
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Americans more likely to support than oppose continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS
Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to support ending federal funding for public media.
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Many Israelis say social media content about the Israel-Hamas war should be censored
Most Israeli adults do not post or share about political and social issues online – including the war between Israel and Hamas.
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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.
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Many adults in East and Southeast Asia support free speech, are open to societal change
In East and Southeast Asia, half or more of adults say that people who disagree with their government’s actions should be able to publicly criticize the government.
