[Public Opinion Brief No. 138] BBC Survey on Perceptions of Freedom in 17 Countries

[Public Opinion Brief No. 138] BBC Survey on Perceptions of Freedom in 17 Countries

1. Expansion and Challenges of Freedom

2. Expansion of Freedom in Personal Life

3. Realization of Political Freedom: National Variations

4. The Internet and the Realization of Freedom

1. Expansion and Challenges of Freedom

The global changes represented by the spread of democracy, the development of information technology, and globalization heralded the expansion of individual freedom, democracy, and markets. Indeed, in 1992, Professor Francis Fukuyama declared the triumph of liberal democracy and the replacement of states by markets in his book, "The End of History and the Last Man."

However, more than twenty years later, Fukuyama himself has revised his theory multiple times, predicting the advent of strong states. In 2011, The New York Times also assessed that "Fukuyama's declaration has become scrap paper." Amartya Sen, a Harvard University professor and the first Asian recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998, argued in his book "Development as Freedom" that the expansion of democracy and individual freedom should be the ultimate goal of economic development, thereby clarifying that the expansion of human freedom remains an unfinished task.

The <2014 Global Poll> project, organized by BBC World Service and Globescan with the East Asia Institute participating as the research partner for Korea, sought to empirically verify the extent of progress in individual freedom and democracy through the perceptions of citizens in 17 major countries worldwide.

The survey results indicate that, with the exception of some countries, there has been significant progress in personal and social spheres (freedom of marriage and religion) to the extent that the expansion of freedom is palpable. However, considerable concerns remain regarding the dimension of political freedom. While people feel the expansion of freedom in open discussions and expression of opinions in the private sector, there are significant concerns about government surveillance, and the perception that freedom of the press is restricted is particularly prominent in advanced democratic countries. Meanwhile, despite expectations that the development of information technology, such as the internet, would provide a significant turning point for the expansion of human freedom, serious anxieties regarding freedom of expression in the online space were confirmed.

[Figure 1] Perceptions of Freedom by Dimension in 17 Countries (%)

2. Expansion of Freedom in Personal Life

Citizens in 17 countries largely perceive themselves as free (completely free + mostly free) in their personal lives. Specifically, over 80% on average positively assessed the freedom to choose religion and practice faith, and the autonomy in choosing a marriage partner and in married life. However, in some single-religious countries in Asia, such as India and Pakistan, the data suggest that infringements on basic personal freedoms are occurring.

1) Freedom of Religion

- Freedom to choose religion and practice faith: 80%

- India 74%, Pakistan 77%, showing the lowest rates

Regarding freedom of religious choice and practice, over 80% of respondents in most of the 17 countries answered that they were free. Australia (95%) had the highest percentage of respondents who answered they were free, followed by Spain, Germany, Korea, the United States, Peru, Kenya, and Canada, all showing high response rates above 90%.

In Pakistan, where over 97% of the population is Muslim, and in India, where over 80% are Hindu, the rates of freedom of religious choice were 77% and 74%, respectively. However, considering that the response rates in the other 15 countries were all above 80%, it can be inferred that the level of religious freedom in India and Pakistan is relatively low. Regarding the proportion of respondents who answered that they were not free in their religious practice, Pakistan had the highest rate at 21%, followed by France, Nigeria, China, and Mexico.

2) Freedom of Marriage

- Freedom in choosing a marriage partner and in married life: 86%

- Pakistan 58%, India 62%, showing lower rates

For the question regarding freedom in choosing a marriage partner and in married life, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, and France showed the highest response rates. Germany and Korea also ranked among countries with high levels of freedom of marriage in terms of public perception, with response rates of 91% and 90%, respectively.

However, in India and Pakistan, similar to the freedom of religion, the proportion of respondents who answered they were free was 62% and 58%, respectively, showing a difference of over 20 percentage points compared to other countries. Notably, in Pakistan, the proportion of respondents who answered they were not free reached 40%, which is more than three times the overall average of 12% across the 17 participating countries. India also showed a relatively high response rate of 21% for those who answered they were not free, followed by China (15%) and Indonesia (14%).

[Figure 2] Perceptions of Freedom of Religion and Marriage: Survey Results from 17 Countries (%)

3. Realization of Political Freedom: National Variations

The survey results from the 17 countries reveal that, unlike the universal trend of expanding freedom in personal life, political freedom is relatively more restricted, and there are significant national variations.

1) Are there Taboo Issues?

- Can discuss any issue in public: 75%

- Korea: 40% perceive restrictions on issues

First, regarding the existence of socially or politically taboo issues, 75% of respondents answered that any issue can be freely discussed in public places, while 23% indicated that there are issues that cannot be freely discussed. Although the overall level is high, the proportion of negative responses is relatively higher compared to the assessment of personal life freedoms, and in some countries, nearly half of the citizens expressed negative opinions. Among the 15 participating countries where over 60% answered they were free, Australia had the highest rate at 87%, followed by Canada (85%) and Peru and Germany (84%).

However, in Mexico, Russia, Kenya, France, Korea, and Nigeria, the proportion of respondents who answered they were free was significantly below the overall average of 75%. Notably, Nigeria and Korea had the highest proportions of respondents who answered they were not free, at 42% and 40% respectively, indicating the most significant perceived restrictions on issue selection and discussion among the 17 participating countries.

2) Freedom from Government Surveillance

- Freedom from government surveillance: 60%; China 76%, US 45%... Korea 57%

Concerns about government surveillance were relatively higher than restrictions on public discussion. The average proportion of respondents who answered they were free from government supervision and surveillance (completely free + mostly free) across the 17 participating countries was 60%. However, this is a relatively low response rate compared to the 70% to 80% range observed in other items, making it a notable finding in this survey.

Interestingly, China showed the highest proportion of respondents who answered they were free from government surveillance, at 76%. This was followed by Australia (72%), Indonesia (69%), and Russia (61%). In contrast, the United States, often considered a symbol of democracy, had 54% of respondents answering they were not free from government surveillance, and Germany also had 51% answering they were not free. Korean citizens also indicated a rate of 39% for not being free from government surveillance, exceeding the overall average of 36%.

It is noteworthy that former communist and developing democratic countries such as China, Russia, and Indonesia, which have experienced media control, reported higher rates of freedom from government surveillance compared to Western democratic countries (US 45%, Germany 51%, France 54%). This could be attributed to stricter evaluation standards among citizens in Western democracies, while citizens in developing countries may be focusing on relative improvements compared to the past.

[Figure 3] Perceptions of Freedom of Discussion and Freedom from Government Surveillance: Survey Results from 17 Countries (%)

3) Freedom of the Press

- Growing global concerns about press freedom

1. Korean citizens and media are not free, with 69%.

Responses regarding freedom of the press were largely reserved. However, it should be noted that while other questions were measured on a 4-point scale, the question on press freedom used a 5-point scale including a midpoint option for "neutral." When asked, "Do you believe that the press and media in your country can report any news accurately and truthfully without fear of anyone?", the average proportion of respondents who answered "yes" (very much so + somewhat so) was 40%. The proportion who answered "no" (not at all + not very much so) was 27%.

Among the 17 countries surveyed, Indonesia had the highest proportion of respondents who perceived the press as free, at 73%. Peru followed with 51% of respondents answering that the press is free. In the remaining 15 countries, the proportion of respondents who perceived the press as free was below 50%. Among these, Nigeria, India, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom showed relatively higher response rates for freedom of the press, with figures in the 40% range.

Conversely, Korea expressed the highest level of concern regarding press freedom. The proportion of Korean respondents who answered that the press is not free was 69%, overwhelmingly surpassing the 14% who answered it is free, a difference of 55 percentage points. This negative perception of press freedom in Korea showed a significant gap compared to Spain (46%) and France (40%), which also had high proportions of respondents answering that the press is not free. This could be attributed to controversies surrounding intelligence agency involvement and media control during the 2012 presidential election, such as the NIS 댓글 scandal.

[Figure 4-1] Perceptions of Press Freedom: Survey Results from 17 Countries (%)

Eight of the 17 countries participating in this year's survey also participated in the 2007 survey. Comparing the results from these 8 countries in the current and 2007 surveys, the proportion of respondents who answered that the press is free has decreased by approximately 30 percentage points in all countries. Notably, the response rate in Kenya decreased by 37 percentage points, in India by 23 percentage points, and in Russia by 20 percentage points. The United Kingdom and the United States also saw a decrease of 11 percentage points, indicating that even countries perceived as having advanced press freedom were not exempt.

The proportion of respondents who answered that the press is not free also increased in all 8 countries. Germany showed the largest increase, with the response rate rising from 8% in the 2007 survey to 26% this year, an increase of 18 percentage points. Kenya saw an increase of 17 percentage points, and the United Kingdom an increase of 10 percentage points.

The overall decline in perceptions of press freedom may be due to actual increases in press restrictions, but it is also possible that citizens in various countries have raised their expectations for press freedom.

[Figure 4-2] Comparison of Press Freedom in 8 Countries (2007-2014) (%)

4. The Internet and the Realization of Freedom

The internet is considered a powerful tool for expanding individual freedom. However, the prevailing opinion among citizens in the 17 surveyed countries is that freedom of expression in the online space is insufficient.

1) Internet Freedom

- The internet provides me with more freedom: Average 67% in 17 countries

- China: 51% most negative

- Korea: 65% agreement rate; US: 72% agreement rate

The internet is perceived as a tool or space for freely expressing individual opinions. We investigated how citizens in 17 countries perceive internet freedom. We examined perceptions of the expansion of freedom through the internet by assessing agreement with the statement "The internet provides me with more freedom" and "The internet is a safe space for expressing my opinions."

Citizens in the 17 countries surveyed in 2014 perceived that the internet provides them with more freedom (very much so + somewhat so) at a rate of 67%. The proportion who believed that the internet is a safe space for expressing their opinions (very much so + somewhat so) was 40%. These results indicate that while citizens in the 17 countries view the internet as a space that offers more functional freedom, many do not consider it a completely safe space where they can express themselves without any reservations.

Looking at the specific results from the 17 countries, Nigeria had the highest proportion of respondents (81%) agreeing that "The internet provides me with more freedom" (very much so + somewhat so). This was followed by Kenya (78%), Australia (77%), the United Kingdom (76%), Indonesia (73%), and Canada and the United States (72%). With the exception of Kenya and Nigeria, developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States showed high agreement rates regarding the internet's function in providing freedom.

Conversely, based on the proportion of respondents who disagreed with the statement that the internet provides freedom, China had the highest response rate (not at all + not very much so) at 45%. Citizens in Germany and Mexico also showed relatively high disagreement rates compared to other countries, at 38% and 35%, respectively.

In Korea, the difference between the proportion of respondents who agreed (65%) and disagreed (29%) with the statement that the internet provides freedom was relatively small. Compared to the overall difference of 42 percentage points, the difference in Korea was 36 percentage points. This suggests a gap between the perceived status of Korea as an IT powerhouse and the public's perception of internet freedom.

2) Freedom of Expression in the Online Space

- The internet is a safe space for expressing my opinions: Average 40% in 17 countries

- China also shows a higher disagreement rate

- Korea: 72% disagree, expressing anxiety

Similar to the findings on the internet's freedom-providing function, Nigeria had the highest proportion of respondents agreeing that "The internet is a safe space for expressing my opinions." In Nigeria, the combined rate of "very much so" and "somewhat so" was 71%. India (67%), Indonesia (57%), and Kenya (52%) also showed relatively high agreement rates.

Conversely, the proportion of respondents who answered that the internet is not a safe space for expressing their opinions was higher among citizens of developed countries such as France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. In France, the disagreement rate was as high as 76%, and in Spain, Germany, Canada, the United States, and Australia, the negative rates were also high, in the 60% range.

The high rates of disagreement in these developed countries were also evident in the difference between agreement and disagreement. In France, the gap between those who agreed (22%) and disagreed (76%) was 54 percentage points. In Spain (42 percentage points), Germany (38 percentage points), and the United States and Canada (32 percentage points), the differences in response rates were also significantly larger compared to other countries.

A peculiarity was also found in the Chinese survey. This is because Chinese citizens were found to have somewhat contradictory perceptions regarding the internet's function of providing freedom and freedom of expression in cyberspace. In the actual survey results from China, the proportion of respondents who answered that the internet provides them with more freedom was 51%, the lowest among the 17 participating countries. Regarding the safety of freedom of expression in cyberspace, the proportion who agreed was 45%, ranking in the middle among the 17 countries.

The survey results from South Korea are also characteristic. Among South Korean citizens, 65% agreed that the internet provides freedom, similar to the average of 76% across the 17 countries. However, regarding freedom of expression in cyberspace, only 22% agreed, showing the second-lowest response rate after France. While they agree that the internet offers more freedom, 72% responded that it is not a space where they can freely express their opinions without fear of being watched, indicating a significant concern.

[Figure 5] Expansion of Freedom via the Internet and Freedom of Expression on the Internet: Survey Results from 17 Countries (%)