{"id":93014,"date":"2021-05-19T09:47:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T14:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2021\/05\/19\/americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:17:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:17:45","slug":"americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2021\/05\/19\/americans-and-cancel-culture-where-some-see-calls-for-accountability-others-see-censorship-punishment\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans and \u2018Cancel Culture\u2019: Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By<\/span> Emily A. Vogels<\/a>, <\/span>Monica Anderson<\/a>, <\/span>Margaret Porteus<\/a>, <\/span>Chris Baronavski<\/a>, <\/span>Sara Atske<\/a>, <\/span>Colleen McClain<\/a>, <\/span>Brooke Auxier<\/a>, <\/span>Andrew Perrin<\/a> and<\/span> Meera Ramshankar<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

People have challenged each other\u2019s views for much of human history<\/a>. But the internet \u2013 particularly social media \u2013 has changed how, when and where these kinds of interactions occur. The number of people who can go online and call out others for their behavior or words is immense, and it\u2019s never been easier<\/a> to summon groups to join the public fray<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The phrase \u201ccancel culture\u201d is said to have originated<\/a> from a relatively obscure slang term \u2013 \u201ccancel,\u201d referring to breaking up with someone<\/a> \u2013 used in a 1980s song. This term was then referenced in film and television and later evolved and gained traction on social media. Over the past several years, cancel culture has become a deeply contested idea in the nation\u2019s political discourse<\/a>. There are plenty of debates over what it is and what it means, including whether it\u2019s a way to hold people accountable, or a tactic to punish others unjustly, or a mix of both. And some argue that cancel culture doesn\u2019t even exist<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand how the U.S. public views the concept of cancel culture, Pew Research Center asked Americans in September 2020 to share \u2013 in their own words \u2013 what they think the term means and, more broadly, how they feel about the act of calling out others on social media. The survey finds a public deeply divided, including over the very meaning of the phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n

How we did this<\/div>