The Cato Institute has a new survey. It reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans are afraid to share their political views. It is hard to infer anything from the survey except self-censorship is on the rise.
Self-Censorship
The national survey finds 62% of Americans say the political climate today prevents them from saying what they believe. This result is up several points from 2017 when 58% of Americans said they were afraid to share their political beliefs.
The CATO survey says 31% of liberals, 30% of moderates and 34% of conservatives agree. They worry their political views could lose them their job or harm their career trajectory.”
A recent Politico poll finds a plurality of Americans believe cancel culture has gone too far.
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The CATO survey finds, There have been shifts across the board. People among all political groups feel they are walking on eggshells. Majorities of Democrats (52%), independents (59%), and Republicans (77%) agree. They have political opinions they are afraid to share. Are today’s Americans pussies?
The CATO survey finds strong liberals stand out. They are the only political group who feel they can express themselves. Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of staunch liberals feel they can say what they believe.
A majority of centrist liberals, who in 2017 said they could express their views freely, now say they have to self-censor.
Censorship for all but these who are in charge… what could go wrong?
According to the CATO survey, self-censorship spans all ethnicities. 65% of Latino Americans, 64% of white Americans, and 49% of African Americans agree. They say they have political views they are afraid to share.
The CATO study concludes, this large number from across demographic groups is anecdotal. It suggests withheld opinions may not simply be radical or fringe perspectives. It may be more than something from those in the process of being socially marginalized. Instead a large number of people may share many of these opinions.
Both surveys, CATO and Politico, suggest those who engage and support cancel culture are a vocal minority. They are not the majority.
The Politico poll finds that while online shaming may seem like a major preoccupation for the public. If you spend a lot of time on Twitter it seems more true. But only 40% of voters say they have participated in cancel culture. Only one in 10 say they participate ‘often. How about you? Which side are you on?