There appears to be a dilemma between the freedom of expression and protection from the adverse effects of uncivil political expression online. While previous studies have revealed various factors that affect attitudes toward freedom of expression and speech restrictions, it is less clear whether people have intergroup biases when forming these attitudes. To address this gap, the present study conducted a pre-registered online survey experiment and investigated people's attitudes toward uncivil political expression by randomizing its in-group and out-group affiliations. The results revealed that people tend to perceive uncivil political expression directed from an out-group toward an in-group as more uncivil, compared to the expression originating from an in-group toward an out-group. This difference subsequently influences their inclination to endorse speech restrictions when faced with uncivil political comments: stronger support for restrictions on expressions from the out-group toward the in-group as opposed to those from the in-group toward the out-group. These findings should serve as a wake-up call to public opinion that advocates for restrictions on uncivil political expression.

翻译：言论自由与免受网络不文明政治表达不良影响之间似乎存在两难困境。先前研究虽揭示了影响言论自由及言论限制态度的多种因素，但人们在形成这些态度时是否存在群际偏见尚不明晰。为填补这一空白，本研究开展了一项预先注册的在线问卷调查实验，通过随机化不文明政治表达的群内与群外归属来探究人们的相应态度。结果显示，相较于源自群内指向群外的不文明政治表达，人们倾向于认为源自群外指向群内的此类表达更为不文明。这一差异进而影响他们在面对不文明政治评论时支持言论限制的倾向：相较于限制从群内指向群外的言论，他们更强烈支持限制从群外指向群内的言论。这些发现应成为倡导限制不文明政治表达的公众舆论的一记警钟。