How Americans feel about ‘cancel culture’ and offensive speech in 6 charts
Here’s a look at how adults in the United States see cancel culture, political correctness and related issues, based on the Center’s surveys.
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Americans and ‘Cancel Culture’: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment
U.S. adults explain – in their own words – what they think cancel culture means.
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70% of U.S. social media users never or rarely post or share about political, social issues
Only 9% of adult social media users say they often post or share things about political or social issues on social media.
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The State of Online Harassment
Roughly four-in-ten Americans have experienced online harassment, with half of this group citing politics as the reason they think they were targeted. Growing shares face more severe online abuse such as sexual harassment or stalking
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64% of Americans say social media have a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today
Just one-in-ten Americans say social media sites have a mostly positive effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today.
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23% of users in U.S. say social media led them to change views on an issue; some cite Black Lives Matter
The share of social media users who say they have changed their views on an issue has increased since we last asked this question in 2018.
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Black U.S. adults follow many COVID-19 news topics more closely, discuss the outbreak more frequently
Black adults were much more likely than whites and somewhat more likely than Hispanic adults to frequently discuss the pandemic with others.
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The state of Americans’ trust in each other amid the COVID-19 pandemic
About a third of Americans register low levels of trust in other people, versus 29% who are “high trusters” and 32% who are “medium trusters.”
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A sore subject: Almost half of Americans have stopped talking politics with someone
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have stopped discussing political and election news with someone: 50% vs. 41%, respectively.
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46% of U.S. social media users say they are ‘worn out’ by political posts and discussions
Well before the 2020 election, many U.S. social media users are already exhausted by how many political posts they see on these platforms.
