Americans remain sharply divided over some of the country's most contentious culture-war debates, but a new CNN poll suggests public opinion has shifted toward more skepticism about rapid social change involving gender identity, sexual orientation, and cultural differences.
The survey found that 47% of Americans say society has gone "too far" in accepting differences related to culture, gender identities, and sexual orientations, while 33% say society has not gone far enough.
Another 19% said the current level of acceptance is about right.
The findings mark a change from a similar survey conducted last year, when 41% said society had gone too far and 36% said it had not gone far enough.
The results underscore the continuing political potency of cultural issues that have dominated national debates in recent years, from transgender rights and diversity initiatives to questions about free speech and social norms.
On free speech, Americans were almost evenly split on what they view as the bigger problem in U.S. culture.
Forty-six percent said people have to be too careful about what they say, while 45% said people have become too comfortable saying offensive things. Just 9% said neither is a significant problem.
"Things you'd never think twice about saying two, three, four, five years ago, now people are suddenly saying, 'Oh, you can't say that,'" said survey respondent Ed Shedlock, a Louisiana Republican.
"Some people will cancel people for something so insignificant it's not even worth having a conversation with them."
The poll also found mixed views about traditional gender roles. Forty-five percent said it would be worse for the country if men and women returned to the family, workplace, and social roles common in the 1950s.
Thirty-five percent said such a shift would be better, while 20% said it would make no difference.
Questions about representation in entertainment and popular culture reflected similar divisions. Half of respondents said people who share their political values are not represented well in pop culture, while 49% said they are represented at least somewhat well.
The findings come as cultural issues increasingly intersect with politics, entertainment, and social media.
While only 10% of Americans said they actively seek out the latest developments in pop culture, 40% said they closely follow or keep up with major developments in entertainment.
Americans also appeared divided on the role of activism in public life.
Fifty-five percent said political protests by celebrities such as athletes, actors, and musicians are at least somewhat effective, while 44% said they are not.
The same 55% said public protests by everyday Americans can be effective compared with 45% who disagreed.
The survey was conducted May 7-31 among 2,480 adults nationwide. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.