According to a recent poll, 69% of Americans believe that the US is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to protecting people’s right “to freely express their views.” the Christian Post reports.

Correspondingly, nearly a third of Americans (31%) believe the US is heading in the right direction on the same issue.

When asked if they felt that the right to Freedom of Speech in America, guaranteed in the constitution, was secure less than half, 47%, said yes. Meanwhile, 29% stated that they believed the right to free speech was ‘not all that secure.’

When adding a political filter to the poll results, it revealed that nearly 50% of Democrats believed the US was heading in the right direction on free speech, compared to only 26% of Republicans.

The survey also found that 72% of Americans stated that they have already self-censored their speech. This included 17% stating that they do it regularly, 31% admitting they have done it occasionally, and 24% saying they had only done it once or twice.

The poll was conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) between Jan. 12 and 19, 2024.