Poll Shows Over Half Americans Think First Amendment Goes “Too Far”

Amid the ongoing political tensions between Republicans and Democrats, arguments and allegations related to First Amendment rights remains one of the most common themes.

Leaders like former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump champion it as it relates to targeted pro-life activists and legally scrutinized politicians like himself while Democrats are quick to label freely protected speech as “extremism.” But a majority of Americans believe that the First Amendment oversteps in its protection of citizen rights, according to a new poll.

The survey, released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), casts an eerie light on the reality that “one out of every two” citizens want “fewer civil liberties,” as the group’s chief research advisor stated. Sean Stevens described the results as “a dictator’s fantasy.”

53% of Americans simply “reject” First Amendment protections such as the freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government. According to the poll results, 52% of Republicans and 61% of Democrats expressed that they “slightly agree” that the First Amendment pushes the boundaries in its rights.

Breaking down party opinion, half of Democrats believe the country is heading in the right direction as it relates to free speech. However, only one-fifth of GOP voters agree. Sadly, just 5% of Americans described their free speech as “completely” protected and 12% expressed that they are “not at all” safe from censorship.

On a more positive note, the rate of Americans who are “somewhat” or “very” concerned they could lose their jobs due to complaints about their free speech has decreased. The recent FIRE poll showed that this percentage dropped to 20% in July from where it held at 28% in April. 

Additionally, a total of 69% expressed belief that America’s free speech is not headed in the right direction, the same percentage reported in a poll from FIRE released in February. 

Self-censorship is also apparently an ongoing issue, though it saw a slight decline between April and July. 23% of respondents shared that they engage in self-censorship “very” or “fairly” often, a small decrease from the 27% who said the same thing four months ago.

Regarding whether the government can fairly determine if speech is intimidating, threatening, or indecent, about 40% trust the administration at least “somewhat,” “very much,” or “completely.”