• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, April 24, 2025

Readers worldwide believe in freedom of the press. But not all of them have it in their countries, judging by a new report from the Pew Research Center.

Of those surveyed, 61% believe freedom of the press is very important. In addition, 59% say the same about freedom of speech, and 55% about freedom on the internet. 

But many countries have gaps in these areas. Chile has the largest press freedom gap, followed by Argentina, Colombia, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Korea and Turkey. Turkey also has the single largest speech freedom gap. 

Add it all up, and it's a sorry picture. 

But people see less of a gap when it comes to internet freedom—indeed, there are reverse gaps in some places. 

“Majorities in all 35 countries surveyed say that people in their country are at least somewhat free to use the internet without censorship,” the report states. “A median of 50% say they have complete internet freedom.” 

Audiences are also concerned about made-up news. A median of eight in 10 adults in 35 countries say it is a big problem, while 59% say it is a very big issue. 

Concerns about fabricated news is high across the sub-Saharan African and Latin American countries surveyed.  

In North America, 43% of Canadians and 51% of Americans say it is a very big problem. The country that is least likely to say this? Singapore.  

There is a correlation between fear of made-up news and dissatisfaction with the state of the local democracy. Among Hugarians who see this as a problem, 34% are satisfied with the state of Hungarian democracy. 

For this report, "Free Expression Seen As Important Globally, But Not Everyone Thinks Their Country Has Press, Speech and Internet Freedoms," Pew Research Center surveyed 3,600 U.S. adults from April 1 to April 7, 2024; 5,123 from Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025; and 3,605 from March 24 to March 30, using its American Trends Panel. 

In the U.S., they surveyed 3,600 adults from April 1 to April 7, 2024; 5,123 adults from Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025; and 3,605 adults from March 24 to March 30, 2025, using the Center’s American Trends Panel.