45% of Germans feel that “political correctness” does not allow them to freely express their personal opinions on all issues.

The survey was conducted by the INSA-Consulere research institute for the news agency Idea and it came after the publication of an open letter signed by intellectuals from around the world in which they warned that “the free exchange of ideas is becoming more constricted”.

While almost half of the over 2,000 surveyed people admitted they did often not feel comfortable expressing their views, another 32% said they did not feel any restriction for their freedom of speech. 14% said they “don’t know” while 9% chose not to respond.

More men than women felt the pressure of “political correctness” although numbers were similar (48% to 43%).

While just over one third (35%) of young people aged 18-29 said they struggled to express their opinions, 49% of those aged 40-49 did.

Christians more than rest of society

The survey included self-identified Christians. It was the members of free evangelical Christians who expressed the feeling of being under pressure of “political correctness” most: 57% of respondents.

Among members of the mainline Protestant Church (EKD), 50% of the respondents agreed, while among Roman Catholics the figure was a bit lower: 43%.

LGBT, abortion, politics, race…

The debate about “political correctness” in the public sphere has also happened in other European countries lately.

The podcast “Speak Life” in the United Kingdom addressed the issue of the so-called “cancel culture”, which silences non-popular views. They set up an anonymous online survey in which they asked Christians what opinions they often feared to share in public.

The “unspeakable opinions” mentioned by the 450 respondents were largely related to transgender/gender issues, race, abortion, sexuality, politics and marriage.