Muted Democrats and Vocal Republicans
Republicans have recently grown more comfortable sharing their political views, while Democrats have become less open.
Over the last decade, numerous surveys have shown that Republicans have been much more likely than Democrats to feel they can’t freely express themselves in public. Similarly, Democrats have been more inclined to censor others for saying the “wrong” thing.
For example, a 2022 NYT-Siena College survey found that 58% of Republicans admitted they’d held their tongue out of fear of retaliation, compared to just 41% of Democrats. The same survey also found that 30% of Democrats said they had retaliated against someone for their speech, versus only 18% of Republicans.
In the first few months of 2025, however, this dynamic appears to be shifting. Woke is hitting headwinds. The red pill may be on its way to becoming the new blue pill.
According to a recent Pew survey, 40% of Americans believe Republicans are very comfortable freely and openly expressing their political views, a +6 percentage point rise since 2024. But the reverse is true for Democrats: Only 36% of Americans believe Dems can openly express their opinions, down -8 points since 2024 and -12 points since 2019.
Let’s break down the views by party identification:
Republican Opinions: 30% of Republicans believe their fellow Republicans feel comfortable openly expressing their views. That’s a rise of +8 points since 2024, and the highest reading ever recorded, even surpassing levels during Trump’s first term. Republicans also report a slight decline in Democrats’ openness (-3 points).
Democrat Opinions: Just 19% of Democrats say their fellow party members are comfortable expressing their views. That’s a -16 point decline since 2024, and the lowest reading on record. Democrats also report a rise in Republicans’ comfort levels (+5 points).
It’s not surprising that Democrats feel less able to speak freely. In the 2024 elections, they lost the presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives, a clear rejection of their brand and messaging. Republicans, by contrast, feel validated by their electoral sweep.
But it’s striking that Democrats felt very confident expressing their views back in 2019, during Trump’s first term—while Republicans were more hesitant, despite controlling the White House. What’s changed? In 2016, many Americans saw Trump’s win as a fluke: He lost the popular vote and squeaked by with the Electoral College. Democrats, and even some Republicans, believed voters wouldn’t make the same “mistake” twice. But in 2024 Trump secured a decisive victory, winning the popular vote by more than 2M votes. And his biggest gains were among young adults and minorities, once considered a forward-looking Democratic bastion.
That result shattered the belief that MAGA was just a fleeting aberration. As such, it shifted the Overton Window and reset the boundaries on acceptable political opinion.
One case study for this phenomena is a YouTuber “asmongold”. Who recently began expressing opinions that he claimed had to be masked in the prior era of political correctness.
The results are that some discussions worth having might finally be possible. However what I see more frequently, as with asmongold, is that the newly freed beliefs being expressed are often tainted by bigotry and hatred. Leaving no discussion to be had, and the problems continuing to be unaddressed satisfactorily.
For example the issue of Islamic beliefs colliding with some foundational western beliefs. Instead of a discussion, influencers like asmongold just disregard Muslims as an inferior culture and its believers should be removed from western society.
Our current political realignment in action. It's implications and consequences are still being unfolded and fully understood. These early results are starting to paint an early picture of it, with its full scope awaiting its development, analysis, and political potential.