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Introduction to Freedom of Expression in an Age of Social Media, Misinformation, and Political Polarization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2023

Eitan Hersh
Affiliation:
Tufts University, USA
Yanna Krupnikov
Affiliation:
Stony Brook University, USA

Abstract

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Type
Freedom of Expression in an Age of Social Media, Misinformation, and Political Polarization
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Political Science Association

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References

NOTES

1. For more on methodology, see Knight Foundation and Ipsos, “Free Expression in America Post-2020, January 6, 2021. https://knightfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/KF_Free_Expression_2022.pdf.

2. Full data are available in the Ipsos/Knight Foundation Survey (Roper #31119146).

3. The question was: “How important, if at all, are the following to you?” Freedom of speech was listed with other rights: 63% reported that it is “extremely important”; 28% stated that it is “very important”; and 7% stated that it is “moderately important.”

4. The question was: “How important do you consider each of the following for democracy?” Participants were randomly assigned to various ideas, including “free-speech rights.”

5. Participants were asked whether the following statement is true or false: “The First Amendment prevents government restrictions of speech but not restrictions from the private sector.” Of the respondents, 58% correctly reported that the statement was true and 40% reported that it was false.

6. This question was asked as true or false. The incorrect response in this case was “true” (35% of respondents); 62% correctly answered “false.”