Less young Americans support free speech, global survey finds

Support for free speech among young Americans has dropped sharply in recent years, with just 43% now saying people should be allowed to insult the U.S. flag — down from 71% in 2021 — according to a new global report from The Future of Free Speech.

The 2025 report found that Americans aged 18 to 34 also showed declining support across other categories of expression. Support for pro-LGBTQ+ speech fell by 20 percentage points, and tolerance for statements that offend religious beliefs dropped by 14 points. These declines contributed to the U.S. posting the third-largest drop in free speech support among 33 countries surveyed, following Japan and Israel.

Younger Americans were the least supportive of nearly every type of controversial speech polled, including statements critical of religion, offensive to minority groups, or supportive of homosexuality. Researchers attribute this trend to a generational shift in values, with younger adults placing greater emphasis on harm reduction and inclusion over the principle of unrestricted speech.

Japan registered the steepest decline globally, driven by growing intolerance for insults to the national flag and offensive speech about minority groups or religion. In contrast, countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan recorded the largest gains in support since 2021 — though they still rank near the bottom globally.

The report suggests that this divergence offers context for Asian American communities, where cultural norms from ancestral countries may intersect with American free speech values. The contrast between collectivist traditions — which emphasize social harmony — and Western individualism may influence how younger Asian Americans interpret the limits and responsibilities of expression.

The survey also explored attitudes toward generative AI, revealing widespread concern about its misuse to produce harmful content. While most respondents across countries favored regulation by both tech companies and national governments, support varied. India and Pakistan were among the most permissive toward AI-generated speech, while Japan and France ranked among the least.