The Demand for Censorship

Who Supports Internet Censorship? First Monday, Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2006

38 Pages Posted: 20 Feb 2002

See all articles by Craig A. Depken

Craig A. Depken

University of North Carolina at Charlotte - The Belk College of Business Administration - Department of Economics

Abstract

Censorship is the moral or legislative process by which society "agrees" to limit what an individual can do, say, think, or see. The proliferation of censorship movements of all kinds has heretofore been relatively ignored by economists. In this study, a conceptual model is developed describing the economic rationale underlying an individual's relative support for censorship, even if censorship is expected to reduce the amount of acceptable information available. To support the conceptual framework, the demand for Internet censorship is empirically analyzed using survey data gathered on-line during 1998. The results indicate the characteristics of those who tend to favor censorship.

Keywords: political speech, Internet content, child protection, first amendment, freedom

JEL Classification: H10, D70

Suggested Citation

Depken, Craig A., The Demand for Censorship. Who Supports Internet Censorship? First Monday, Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2006 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=300859 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.300859

Craig A. Depken (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina at Charlotte - The Belk College of Business Administration - Department of Economics ( email )

Charlotte, NC 28223
United States

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