Growing share of Americans are familiar with "cancel culture"

Overall, 61% of U.S. adults say they have heard at least a fair amount about the phrase “cancel culture,” up from 44% in September 2020, the first time the Center asked about the term. Since then, several major news stories have highlighted the phrase, while politicians and the media have debated the term and what it means.

The share of Americans who are unfamiliar with the term “cancel culture” has shrunk 17 percentage points since 2020. But there are still about four-in-ten who say they have heard not too much (16%) or nothing at all (23%) about the phrase.

Awareness of cancel culture has grown across demographic groups, but one of the largest increases has come among older adults. The share of adults ages 65 and older who say they have heard a great deal or a fair amount about cancel culture has risen from 33% in 2020 to 53% today.