Americans care less about the First Amendment than they did four years ago. New research shows.
Today, 58% of people say they approve of the First Amendment, down four percentage points from 2020, according to a report by the Freedom Forum.
Though less important, respondents still say free speech rights will influence their vote this fall: More than half of Americans in the Northeast say the First Amendment will matter to them this fall, compared with 49 percent in the Midwest.
When assessing the candidates, about a third of people saw former President Trump as a “defender” of First Amendment freedoms, compared with 42% who saw Harris that way. But responses varied by age and class.
Baby Boomers were more likely than younger generations to perceive Trump as a threat to the First Amendment. Americans earning between $60,000 and $100,000 a year were more likely to see Harris as a threat to the First Amendment, but those earning more than $100,000 were more likely to see Trump as a threat.
When it comes to freedom of speech, the responses revealed that people tend to self-censor, especially when it comes to discussions about this year's election. More than half of respondents said they feared violent interactions with others, and 46% cited tensions with family and friends as a factor in their silence. By comparison, a quarter of respondents said they feared being fired.
The published poll was drawn from a 12-minute survey completed by 820 Americans between July 29 and August 5, and has a survey sample margin of error of 3.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
