Three in four Britons believe it is becoming harder to think freely today

Three in four people in the UK believe it is becoming harder to think freely in today’s society, new polling by The Independent reveals.

To mark its 40th anniversary, the title – which promotes free thinking and encourages readers to form their own views – has asked the British public what it means to be a free thinker and how that is changing.

The findings show that the vast majority – some 81 per cent of those polled – consider themselves to be a free thinker to some degree, but a changing media landscape and the ubiquity of social media means most believe it is getting harder to form and hold one’s own views.

Bill Browder, a financier and political activist who has openly challenged Vladimir Putin, told The Independent: “Forty years ago, the challenge for a free thinker was finding information. Today it's filtering it.

“We have more access to dissenting ideas than ever before, but also more pressure to sort ourselves into camps before we've finished thinking. Independent thought used to mean going against the crowd. Now it means recognising the extraordinary array of vested interests which would seek to divide us through algorithms and disinformation.”

Thinking freely may sound abstract, but it is as simple as thinking without restraint, according to Dr Edward Swidelsky, a philosophy professor from the University of Exeter.

“The phrase free thought originally meant not being bound by religious dogmas,” he said. “Now, it’s used more broadly to mean anyone who thinks in a way that isn’t constrained by presuppositions of whatever kind. They could be religious or political.”

To coincide with its 40th anniversary, The Independent has released a list of 40 free thinkers, as well as commissioning the online survey in which 1,032 people took part.

Almost half (42 per cent) strongly identify as a free thinker, while very few completely reject the label (just 4 per cent say less than they think or not at all), although 13 per cent acknowledge that they strive to think independently but find it challenging.

Three quarters of people say doing so is getting harder, with social media, news media and influencers viewed by the largest share of those surveyed as having the greatest impact or influence on people's ability to think freely today.

However, younger generations (aged 18-45) are much more likely to think it is easier to think freely compared with older generations (46 plus).

Respondents also say that an increased feeling of polarisation in modern society is a challenge to free thinking.

Nearly three in four people feel that those who identify as free thinkers have become more polarising and divided when discussing contentious issues over the past 10 years.

And when asked which public figures they would consider synonymous with free thinking, no single person emerges.

Instead, respondents gravitate towards individuals they perceived to challenge convention, whether through politics, science, business or independent media – even if they are controversial figures.

Political figures dominate, but it is a highly divided group.

The most frequently named individuals are politicians including Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Barack Obama, Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders.

Interestingly, respondents often choose politicians from opposite ends of the political spectrum, suggesting that a free thinker is interpreted as someone willing to challenge the status quo, rather than someone who shares their views.

Elon Musk is one of the strongest individual associations, with respondents repeatedly mentioning the controversial tech mogul as a champion of free speech who challenges conventional thinking – despite him using it to voice often highly controversial views, which include support for the far-right AfD in Germany.

Media personalities are also prominent, reflecting a shift beyond traditional institutions.

A notable number of responses mention US podcasters Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, documentary-maker Louis Theroux, actor and presenter Stephen Fry, and radio host James O’Brien.

They are all mentioned as people who question mainstream narratives, interview people with a variety of views and encourage debate.

Strikingly, there are very few women named as free thinkers. Dr Robert Simpson, a professor of philosophy at UCL, points out that this lack of recognition is no different to how it has been throughout history.

“There’s been a big move in academia of late to credit Harriet Taylor (John Stuart Mill’s wife) as an official co-author of Mill’s 19th century classic text of philosophical liberalism, On Liberty,” he says. “So there’s an interesting connection there. Women through history who have been spirited advocates for free thinking haven’t always been credited for that the same as men.”

Regarding challenges to free thinking, the largest share of people surveyed feel misinformation and social media pressure are the biggest preventions or threats.

Social media algorithms are more commonly seen by respondents as a force for reinforcing bubbles rather than broadening perspectives, with 58 per cent feeling they make people further entrenched in their own views.

Only 12 per cent of people believe algorithms make people more open-minded.

The sentiment that algorithms hinder free thinking is even stronger among older generations, rising to 63 per cent among 46–61 year-olds and 68 per cent among 62–80 year-olds, compared with 53 per cent among 18–45-year-olds.

Social media has made people scared to think freely, Dr Simpson explains: “We’re in a technological environment that’s radically increased the quantity of speech that we’re exposed to, and that’s made us radically more monitorable and criticisable than people a few decades ago. We’re living in the digital panopticon, and it’s a stifling and scary place to live.”

He says it is no surprise that polarising figures dominate the perceived modern-day free thinkers.

“Where most of us feel like the digital panopticon makes us go into our shells, some people seem to thrive in that environment.”

When it came to traditional media sources, the BBC stands out as the news organisation (30 per cent) most strongly associated with encouraging people to form their own opinions.

But a large number of respondents criticise the BBC for perceived bias, describing it as the organisation that should encourage independent thinking, but doesn't always succeed.

The Independent and The Guardian are the newspaper brands mentioned most often.

People praise balanced reporting, presenting evidence rather than telling readers what to think and encouraging them to draw their own conclusions.

Several explicitly praise The Independent for allowing readers to form their own views.

Founded in 1986 free from political party allegiance and proprietor influence, The Independent prides itself on giving audiences around the world the freedom to form and express their own opinions.

In terms of accessing news, the majority of respondents use Google search (56 per cent) to get their news, but YouTube and Facebook are close behind (46 per cent and 44 per cent respectively).

Instagram, TikTok, X and podcasts all surpass direct news website consumption.

Gen-Z primarily drives the consumption of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, while Facebook and podcast use is fuelled by millennials.

At 62 per cent, baby boomers are most likely to get their news from websites directly, compared to only 5 per cent of Gen-Z, 10 per cent of millennials and 29 per cent of Gen X.

Crucially, 94 per cent say they consider bias when consuming information, in order to identify anything that may affect their ability to think freely.

But less than half of respondents say they check the evidence and sources provided or actively take time to reflect on and challenge their own assumptions and biases.