Psychologists identify three distinct profiles of support for free speech

Psychologists have uncovered three distinct personality types that categorize how individuals approach free speech. Contrary to the traditional view of support for free speech as a singular concept, this research reveals that support can be broken down into four specific dimensions. These dimensions include tolerance for offensive speech, disagreement, heterodox ideas, and socially divisive speech.

The study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, involved 563 European adults who completed a questionnaire to measure their tolerance levels for each type of speech. The results showed that 57% of participants fell into a conditional tolerance profile, indicating a moderate level of tolerance for most types of speech, but with lower tolerance for offensive and divisive speech.

Another 20% were classified as low tolerance, showing significant reluctance to accept controversial speech, particularly offensive and basic disagreeing speech. The remaining 23% were categorized as broad tolerance, displaying a high level of permissiveness towards all kinds of speech, including the most offensive and divisive.

When examining personal characteristics, the broad tolerance group was predominantly male and more highly educated. Women were more represented in the low tolerance group. Politically, the low tolerance group leaned conservative, while the broad tolerance group leaned liberal. Interestingly, the broad tolerance group also reported the highest levels of conspiracy theory belief and lowest trust in scientific, political, and journalistic institutions.

The findings suggest that people who support unrestricted speech may do so from a skepticism of official narratives and distrust of societal institutions, rather than a commitment to democratic values. This nuanced understanding of free speech support challenges the conventional view of it as a uniform attitude.