(WTVO) — Do average Americans feel pressure from ‘cancel culture?’ A new study suggests so.
As exclusively reported by The Hill, a new poll released by the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard and The Harris Poll, 64% of Americans view ‘cancel culture’ as a ‘threat to freedom.’
The survey also found 54% of respondents were ‘concerned’ that they could be banned from social media or fired from their job for expressing their opinions online. 46% said they were not concerned.
“It is a chilling finding that most people in the country now are afraid they would be fired if they expressed their real views on social media,” said Mark Penn, the director of the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey.
“The public generally gives negative ratings to social media companies and sees the movement as more about censorship rather than trying to correct wrongs. It is growing as a national issue,” he added.
Only 13% of the participants said they did not consider ‘cancel culture’ to be a problem, with 32% calling it a ‘moderate problem’ and 20% said it was a ‘small problem.’
Merriam-Webster defines ‘cancel culture’ as ‘the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.’
A total of 1,945 registered voters participated in the study.