In several parts of Asia where we surveyed, majorities say that harmony with others is more important than the right to express one's opinion. (Getty Images)
A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that majorities of adults in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan say people who disagree with the government's actions should be able to publicly criticize it. For example, 83% of people in South Korea and Taiwan say so in both countries.
The Pew Research Center conducted the analysis to explore how adults across Asia view government criticism and freedom of speech.
The data comes from two Pew Research Center projects: Data for Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam comes from the Center's survey conducted between June and September 2023 among 10,390 adults. Data for Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand comes from the Center's survey conducted between June and September 2022 among 13,122 adults.
Interviews were conducted by telephone in six locations: Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, while face-to-face interviews were conducted in Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
These surveys are part of the Pew Templeton Future of World Religions Project, which analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.
Respondents were selected using a probability-based sample design: data were weighted to account for different probabilities of selection and to match demographic benchmarks for the adult population.
For more information, see the full list of 2023 survey questions and answers, the full list of 2022 survey questions and answers, and the survey methodology.
And in Hong Kong, where recent laws have restricted free speech and dissent, 81% of adults say people should be able to criticize the government in public.
Adults in these East Asian regions are generally more supportive of critical speech than adults in South Asian and Southeast Asian societies surveyed in 2022. These societies include Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. As in East Asia, some of these places have legal restrictions on freedom of speech.
Still, majorities in South and Southeast Asia say people should be able to publicly criticize their governments, including three-quarters of Indonesians and 55% of Singaporeans, where freedom of expression and press are restricted.
(Cambodia and Vietnam were also included in the survey, but these countries did not ask this question.)
Freedom of speech or social harmony?
While the majority of adults surveyed in the region support the right to publicly criticize the government, there is no agreement on how freedom of speech should intersect with social harmony.
We asked whether people should be allowed to publicly voice their opinions even if they offend others, or whether fitting in with others is more important than the right to voice one's opinion.
In some countries, such as Cambodia (69%) and Indonesia (67%), majorities say harmony is more important than the right to express one's opinion, but a majority of Thai adults (59%) hold the opposite view.
On this question, opinions among adults in Hong Kong and Taiwan are roughly evenly split.
Differences by age and education
Across most regions surveyed, adults aged 18 to 34 and those with higher education are more likely than those with lower education to support the right to criticize the government. They are also more likely to support free speech even at the expense of social harmony.
For example, in South Korea, 92% of adults under 35 say people should have the freedom to criticize the government, compared with 80% of adults over 35. And 91% of South Koreans with a higher education support this, compared with 76% of adults with less education.
Should society be open to change?
Across East Asia and neighboring Vietnam, many believe societies will be better off in the future if they embrace change rather than clinging to traditions and ways of life. Across these regions, ageing populations are raising questions about the future. (South and Southeast Asia are not asking this question in 2022.)
Majorities of adults in South Korea (78%) and Japan (67%) say society would be better off embracing change, while 53% of Taiwanese and Vietnamese agree.
Hong Kong people are split on this issue: 49% say Hong Kong should stick to its traditions, while the same proportion say Hong Kong should embrace change.
Across all regions surveyed, adults ages 18 to 34 are more likely to support changing traditions than those over 35. In Vietnam, for example, 61% of younger adults say the same, compared with 48% of older adults.
In general, more educated respondents are more likely than less educated ones to say the future would be better if society embraced change.
Note: For more information, see the full list of 2023 survey questions and answers, the full list of 2022 survey questions and answers, and the survey methodology.
