From Liberté to Free Speech: How Political Context Shapes Support for Disinformation Regulation

• In Event: 50216 - Narrative Strategies in Political Sociology

Abstract

The weaponization of disinformation has exposed vulnerabilities in democratic societies, making its regulation a key policy debate worldwide. Yet public attitudes toward regulation remain a crucial yet understudied aspect of the debate, especially in different political contexts. Therefore, how do people in a strong versus weak regulatory state believe that disinformation should be restricted? It is a common assumption that left-leaning individuals are more supportive of government than those on the right, particularly in the U.S. But we know less about these differences ideologically across countries. Despite an explosion of disinformation research, the public’s perspectives and practices related to digital disinformation are not well-known. Insight into how both gender and political differences map onto opinions of disinformation regulation is also lacking. We compare a more and less regulatory state, France and the U.S., to understand the extent and explanations for variation in the public’s opinions and their digital footprint regarding disinformation regulation. Based on a survey we fielded (N=4,000 per country), we find that French respondents are 33% more likely to support regulation than their American counterparts. To understand this difference, we investigate how political ideology, confidence in the government, and key demographics like gender help explain these attitudes towards regulation. Additionally, by combining our survey data with 9 million digital trace observations, we map the connection of regulatory attitudes to larger information ecosystems. We find a prominent relationship between political ideology in the United States, with right leaning respondent favoring no regulation. Yet this same relationship does not exist in France. Across both countries, however, confidence in governmental information is much better able to explain differing preferences for regulation. The wider diversity of French news and media consumption identifies a more robust informational ecosystem in addition to a higher regulatory appetite.

Authors

• Jen Schradie, Sciences Po - Paris

• Isabelle Langrock, Sciences Po