Do you think that people in the country where you live got more liberties over the last 5 years? I don't need any citations to clearly see that we (Canadians) didn't.
You might be right, though just note that these are also emotionally loaded words. Freedom, for instance, falls into the category of "glittering generality": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality
More clarification might help.
> Freedom, for instance, falls into the category of "glittering generality"
This is just someone's opinion.
People are actually very bad about judging the past to the present in a unbiased way. That's why we think we are better at predictions than we really are. It's also why one of the most common essays since written word has existed is complaining about how everything is going downhill. This is why unbiased, scientific studies are important to inform our intuition.
Meanwhile, states and corporations can spy on everything you do without a warrent or even informing you and you can be censored for pretty much anything without recourse.
I'll second that (as a Canadian). This is an instance where going with your gut is what matters. Someone telling me that a study showed I have more freedoms while simultaneously I see the increased burden on what I need to show, what I'm prohibited from or need permission before doing, what I'm comfortable discussing in public... what would a study do?