A large majority of Americans see the freedom of the press as highly important to the well-being of society. But many express concerns about potential restrictions on press freedoms in the United States — and say that political and financial interests already have a lot of influence on news organizations. These findings come from a new Pew Research Center survey ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) say the freedom of the press — enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — is extremely or very important to the well-being of society. An additional 18% say it is somewhat important, and 8% say it is a little or not at all important.
Some demographic groups are more likely to view press freedom as highly important to society. For instance, White and Asian Americans (78% each) are more likely than Hispanic (61%) and Black (60%) Americans to say it is extremely or very important. U.S. adults with more formal education and higher income levels also are significantly more likely than those with less formal education and lower incomes to say this.
There are no major differences by political party.
