Freedom for All? Populism and the Instrumental Support of Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is both the declared enemy and greatest ally of populism. Populists often present themselves as defenders of free speech to safeguard the interests of “the people,” yet they are also willing to restrict others’ speech rights for political gains. Existing research mostly focuses on populists’ abstract commitment to democracy, largely ignoring how populist citizens—on whose respect for democracy ultimately hinges—concretely apply democratic norms. Using an original survey question and a survey-embedded experiment, we examine how populist individuals understand freedom of speech both in abstract terms and when their ideological interests are at stake. We find that individuals with high populist attitudes show support for an unrestricted form of free speech. However, they are also inclined to restrict their ideological opponents’ right to expression. This indicates that populists view democratic norms not as universal rights but as instrumental values that can be traded for political gains