Americans' faith in First Amendment is waning. Could it influence the election?

WASHINGTON – Support for the First Amendment is declining in the U.S., according to a new survey released Wednesday that found Americans' views about the amendment could influence how they vote in the 2024 presidential election.

The survey, published by the nonprofit First Amendment group Freedom Forum, found that Americans today are less likely to say that they would ratify the First Amendment if they could than they were four years ago. The number of people who said they believed that all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment are essential also decreased from 41% to 34% during the same time.

And much like other pressing issues, Americans' views about First Amendment freedoms appeared to be divided along lines of race, gender and class. The survey found that older respondents, white respondents and those who earn $60,000 to $100,000 a year were more likely to say the First Amendment was important to society compared with other respondents.

The findings are part of Freedom Forum’s annual Where America Stands survey, conducted among 820 Americans between July and August this year. It aims to measure how Americans' understanding of, and perspective on, the First Amendment has changed over time.

Despite waning appreciation for the First Amendment, the survey found some signs of hope about attitudes toward protecting the amendment. The number of respondents who said the First Amendment shouldn’t be changed increased by 10% since 2020. And most Americans surveyed said they still believed the First Amendment is vital to society.

Those views are likely to weigh heavy on the November election.

More than half of Americans said the First Amendment would affect how they vote. It’s a potentially positive sign for Vice President Kamala Harris, given that a little less than half of Americans (49%) surveyed by Freedom Forum expressed concern that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, represented either a “strong threat” or “somewhat a strong threat” to the First Amendment. More than 35% described Harris in the same way.

Recent national and swing state polls have shown Harris with a slight edge over Trump in the race, though many of the results remain within the margin of error.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans' faith in First Amendment is waning. Could it influence the election?