Report: Who In The World Supports Free Speech? [ENG] |
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Executive Summary
Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy, a fundamental right that empowers individuals to express their opinions, challenge authority, and engage in open debate. The world benefits from the free flow of ideas and information because suppressing speech not only harms those who are silenced but also weakens society overall since free speech fosters individual autonomy, creativity, and innovation. Moreover, as emphasized by Nelson Mandela, “No single person, no body of opinion, no political or religious doctrine, no political party or government can claim to have a monopoly on truth.”
In the past decade, the number of countries experiencing increased repression of free speech has far outnumbered those demonstrating substantial improvements, and the share of countries with strong free speech protections has declined significantly. Although speech restrictions have increased globally – often referred to as a ‘free speech recession‘ – new laws and judicial rulings alone do not fully explain the growing skepticism toward free speech. As John Stuart Mill, Albert Einstein, George Orwell, and many other political thinkers and public intellectuals throughout history have understood, a culture that values diverse viewpoints and the ability to express those views is necessary for free speech to truly thrive.
But how much do people around the world facing various types and levels of restrictions support free speech? And beyond the abstract principle of free speech, what specific issues do they think people should be allowed to discuss and criticize openly? This report seeks to answer these questions based on data from surveys of individuals from 33 countries from different regions of the world.
The surveys were developed by The Future of Free Speech and implemented by YouGov and some of its international partners in October 2024 (download the full report to view survey methodology and specific questions). It builds on and extends the findings of a previous report – Who Cares about Free Speech? – published in 2021.
The present report offers updated findings on free speech issues:
- 3 questions about the rejection of censorship concerning private speech, media, and the internet
- 5 questions about the willingness to allow sensitive types of statements that are critical of the government, offensive to religion, offensive to minority groups, support homosexual relationships, or insult the national flag
- 2 questions about preference for free speech vis-à-vis national security and economic stability.
- It also includes findings based on novel survey questions related to the use and regulation of generative AI.
THE FUTURE OF FREE SPEECH INDEX 2025
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
- Majorities in all 33 countries express general support for free speech (on average, across multiple issues). However, there is significant variation across countries – ranging between 54% and 88% – and within countries between different social groups.
- Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) and two democratic backsliders (Hungary and Venezuela) show the highest levels of support for free speech. Muslim-majority countries and the Global South show the lowest levels of support.
- Support for free speech shows a strong co-variation with the actual level of freedom of expression, but in India, Hungary, and Venezuela, the actual level of free speech is relatively low compared to the popular demand.
- Japan, Israel, and the United States show the biggest drops in support since 2021. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan have shown the most improvement but still rank among the lowest in free speech support.
- There is widespread skepticism regarding the use of AI tools to generate offensive content. The strongest skepticism concerns the use of AI to construct deepfakes of politicians.
- There is strong support for governments and tech companies to restrict the use of generative AI tools. This pattern is different from preferences concerning the regulation of social media platforms, where larger shares favor no regulation and only regulation by the social media companies rather than (exclusively or supplementary) by the government.
- Most nations show high levels of support for free speech in the abstract, but support is lower and more divided when it comes to statements that are offensive to minorities or one’s own religion, supportive of homosexual relationships, or insulting to the national flag.
- The tolerance of sensitive statements has remained stable in most nations on most issues since 2021. However, there has been an increase in the willingness to let the government prevent criticism of someone’s own religion (e.g., in Sweden, Poland, France, Japan, and Israel) and approvals of homosexual relationships (e.g., in India, Lebanon, South Africa, the United States, and Mexico). By contrast, the willingness to trade free speech for national security or the economy has decreased in several countries, including Malaysia, Tunisia, Pakistan, Kenya, and Taiwan.
- Women express lower levels of support for the right to express offensive statements related to minorities, someone’s own religion, and the national flag, but higher tolerance of statements that approve of homosexual relationships. Older citizens tend to be more tolerant of criticism of government policies, but also less tolerant of insults to the national flag and information that can harm national security.
- In the US, men, as well as the young and the middle-aged, show declining support for free speech across different kinds of sensitive issues, including lower tolerance of statements that support homosexual relationships and insults to the American flag.
Change in Overall Support for Free Speech Since 2021
The difference between The Future of Free Speech Index scores between surveys conducted in 2021 and 2024.
The key findings from the survey shed light on some important challenges and opportunities facing free speech in the 21st century. Controversies surrounding hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation have sparked intense debates, raising pressing questions about the value and future of this principle. Traditional media, social media, and AI content generators play pivotal roles in shaping public discourse and raising concerns about free speech. While offering information, spaces for deliberation, and inspiration, they can also spread and amplify radical and misleading content.
