Muzzling the Media? Explaining Popular Support for Media Restrictions in Africa

Independent media are essential for democracy but bring potential costs, including hate speech and false information. Many governments, including in Africa, are using such concerns to push new media restrictions. What arguments do Africans themselves find convincing? I use an original conjoint survey experiment in four countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda) to identify the effects of several different potential justifications for media restrictions on popular attitudes. Contra expectations, support for media restrictions does not seem attributable to government supporters simply following leaders’ antimedia rhetoric, nor are concerns about foreign influence via media impactful in most countries. Certain language, such as support for armed groups and spreading hate speech, is especially likely to generate calls for harsher responses. When coupled with observational survey data and focus group evidence, these findings suggest that many Africans see media restrictions as supportive of democracy, rather than as tools to empower already-entrenched leaders.