Poll: 4 in 5 Americans prefer offensive, inaccurate speech over censorship

By Art Moore

If given a choice between allowing offensive or inaccurate speech and government censorship, an overwhelming majority of voters want free speech.

A national survey by Scott Rasmussen found 80% of voters prefer free speech and only 9% want the government to determine what speech should be allowed.

The free speech option is supported by at least 70% of every measured demographic group, Rasmussen found.

A previous survey found 49% of voters were more worried about restricting free speech than the spread of fake news and misinformation.

Rasmussen noted that “hesitation about granting government the power to determine what speech is allowed is deeply ingrained in American culture.”

“One reason for this may be that 59% continue to see the federal government as a special interest group,” he said. “Additionally, just 34% believe the federal government today supports the founding ideals of freedom, equality and self-governance.”

Rasmussen also found that despite establishment media reporting and social-media censorship, 66% of voters believe it’s likely the novel coronavirus came from a lab leak.

The survey also touched on the issue of requiring so-called vaccine passports to enter certain venues, businesses and transportion. Some 62% want business owners to decide whether a vaccine passport is needed. Just 26% wanted the government to decide.

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Art Moore

Art Moore, co-author of the best-selling book "See Something, Say Nothing," entered the media world as a PR assistant for the Seattle Mariners and a correspondent covering pro and college sports for Associated Press Radio. He reported for a Chicago-area daily newspaper and was senior news writer for Christianity Today magazine and an editor for Worldwide Newsroom before joining WND shortly after 9/11. He earned a master's degree in communications from Wheaton College. Read more of Art Moore's articles here.


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