The public’s willingness to back more authoritarian measures has been a constant feature throughout the pandemic. Poll after poll for the past 17 months has suggested strong support for tough restrictions, sanctions, deterrents and lockdowns – perhaps not a surprise in a country where a third of voters backed the use of live ammunition against the 2011 rioters. But is such authoritarianism now bleeding into the cultural sphere too?
A new poll for The Spectator conducted by Redfield and Wilton reveals that some 40 per cent of the public would support the government censoring books with content that it deems ‘sexist, homophobic, or racist’. Of the 1,500 surveyed, only 30 per cent would oppose this, with 29 per cent either neutral on the proposal or ‘don’t know’. Steerpike wonders what the reaction would be if Salman Rushdie was to publish his controversial work The Satanic Verses today.
Slightly more back private companies carrying out the role of judging what is and is not acceptable, with 42 per cent in support of publishers ‘coming together to censor books with content that they deem sexist, homophobic, or racist.’
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in