Who Wants to Censor Pornography and Hate Speech?

Abstract

Attitudes about censorship have been studied across a diverse range of disciplines, including mass communication, political science, social psychology, education, and library science. Despite varied origins, this research has two things in common: (a) seeking to understand how and where the public draws lines in limiting free expression, and (b) a normative desire to be able to predict and modify such opinions when needed. To influence public attitudes about hate speech and pornography (in either direction), one must understand the characteristics of people who do and do not wish to censor such expression. This article examines the relationship of attitudes about pornography and hate speech to a variety of demographic, psychological, and sociopolitical variables (including age, gender, education, political affiliation, religiosity, media use, need for cognition, authoritarianism, neuroticism, openness, extroversion, and commitment to democratic principles). The similarities and differences of the relationships with the two expressive contexts are explored.