Denmark, The Danish Institute for Human Rights (2024), Freedom of speech and self-censorship
Country
Denmark
Title
Denmark, The Danish Institute for Human Rights (2024), Freedom of speech and self-censorship
View full research
Year
2024
Publication type
Report - official data on incidents
Geographical coverage
National
Area/location of interest
Not applicable - national level
Type of Institution
National human rights body
Institution
Denmark, The Danish Institute for Human Rights (Institut for Menneskerettigheder)
Thematic focus
Public perceptions and attitudes
Groups
General population
Key findings
10% of survey participants report that they have refrained from taking part in public debate in the past year through demonstrations, town hall meetings, etc. for fear of negative reactions. Fear of violence and threats is the reason for self-censorship for one in three (31%) of those who have refrained from participating in public debate in the physical space in the past year. Around one in three of survey participants have refrained from participating in public debate on social media for fear of negative reactions, while fear of harassment is the reason for self-censorship for one in three (32%) of those who refrained from participating in public debate on social media in the past year. In general, 'Religion, refugees, foreigners and equality/discrimination' are topics that discourage and cause more people to stay out of the debate. When it comes to current topics, 7 October Hamas attacks against Israel and the war that ensued in Gaza comprise the main cause for self-censorship.
Methodology (Qualitative/Quantitative and exact type used, questionnaires etc)
Respondents are distributed by selected characteristics; gender, age, geography and education, which are standard characteristics in surveys. In addition, political affiliation has been added as previous studies show that it is a factor that can influence people's propensity for self-censorship. To ensure representativeness in terms of gender, age, region and education, data is weighted by Epinion. This means that if there are certain groups that are underrepresented among respondents, they have been assigned a slightly higher weight to correct the skew, and vice versa for overrepresented groups. It is stated in the report that respondents are highly representative of the Danish population on the selected characteristics.
Sample details and representativeness
Quantitative questionnaire answered by 4000 persons over 18. The survey is based on data collected by Epinion via Norstat's internet-based panel.
DISCLAIMERThe information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.