diff --git a/django/views/defaults.py b/django/views/defaults.py
index e9d0f16a33..2f54fcd263 100644
--- a/django/views/defaults.py
+++ b/django/views/defaults.py
@@ -21,11 +21,14 @@ def page_not_found(request, template_name='404.html'):
     """
     try:
         template = loader.get_template(template_name)
+        content_type = None             # Django will use DEFAULT_CONTENT_TYPE
     except TemplateDoesNotExist:
         template = Template(
             '<h1>Not Found</h1>'
             '<p>The requested URL {{ request_path }} was not found on this server.</p>')
-    return http.HttpResponseNotFound(template.render(RequestContext(request, {'request_path': request.path})))
+        content_type = 'text/html'
+    body = template.render(RequestContext(request, {'request_path': request.path}))
+    return http.HttpResponseNotFound(body, content_type=content_type)
 
 
 @requires_csrf_token
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ def server_error(request, template_name='500.html'):
     try:
         template = loader.get_template(template_name)
     except TemplateDoesNotExist:
-        return http.HttpResponseServerError('<h1>Server Error (500)</h1>')
+        return http.HttpResponseServerError('<h1>Server Error (500)</h1>', content_type='text/html')
     return http.HttpResponseServerError(template.render(Context({})))
 
 
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ def bad_request(request, template_name='400.html'):
     try:
         template = loader.get_template(template_name)
     except TemplateDoesNotExist:
-        return http.HttpResponseBadRequest('<h1>Bad Request (400)</h1>')
+        return http.HttpResponseBadRequest('<h1>Bad Request (400)</h1>', content_type='text/html')
     return http.HttpResponseBadRequest(template.render(Context({})))
 
 
@@ -75,7 +78,7 @@ def permission_denied(request, template_name='403.html'):
     try:
         template = loader.get_template(template_name)
     except TemplateDoesNotExist:
-        return http.HttpResponseForbidden('<h1>403 Forbidden</h1>')
+        return http.HttpResponseForbidden('<h1>403 Forbidden</h1>', content_type='text/html')
     return http.HttpResponseForbidden(template.render(RequestContext(request)))
 
 
diff --git a/tests/view_tests/tests/test_defaults.py b/tests/view_tests/tests/test_defaults.py
index af812b4446..d55ed53454 100644
--- a/tests/view_tests/tests/test_defaults.py
+++ b/tests/view_tests/tests/test_defaults.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
 from django.contrib.contenttypes.models import ContentType
 from django.test import TestCase
-from django.test.utils import setup_test_template_loader, restore_template_loaders
+from django.test.utils import (setup_test_template_loader,
+    restore_template_loaders, override_settings)
 
 from ..models import Author, Article, UrlArticle
 
@@ -59,3 +60,20 @@ class DefaultsTests(TestCase):
         article = UrlArticle.objects.get(pk=1)
         self.assertTrue(getattr(article.get_absolute_url, 'purge', False),
                         'The attributes of the original get_absolute_url must be added.')
+
+    @override_settings(DEFAULT_CONTENT_TYPE="text/xml")
+    def test_default_content_type_is_text_html(self):
+        """
+        Content-Type of the default error responses is text/html. Refs #20822.
+        """
+        response = self.client.get('/views/raises400/')
+        self.assertEqual(response['Content-Type'], 'text/html')
+
+        response = self.client.get('/views/raises403/')
+        self.assertEqual(response['Content-Type'], 'text/html')
+
+        response = self.client.get('/views/non_existing_url/')
+        self.assertEqual(response['Content-Type'], 'text/html')
+
+        response = self.client.get('/views/server_error/')
+        self.assertEqual(response['Content-Type'], 'text/html')
diff --git a/tests/view_tests/urls.py b/tests/view_tests/urls.py
index 3dcee2fe53..f2c910368d 100644
--- a/tests/view_tests/urls.py
+++ b/tests/view_tests/urls.py
@@ -45,8 +45,10 @@ urlpatterns = patterns('',
 
     # a view that raises an exception for the debug view
     (r'raises/$', views.raises),
-    (r'raises404/$', views.raises404),
+
+    (r'raises400/$', views.raises400),
     (r'raises403/$', views.raises403),
+    (r'raises404/$', views.raises404),
 
     # i18n views
     (r'^i18n/', include('django.conf.urls.i18n')),
diff --git a/tests/view_tests/views.py b/tests/view_tests/views.py
index a40b1e0c57..0bac7d9321 100644
--- a/tests/view_tests/views.py
+++ b/tests/view_tests/views.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
 import sys
 
-from django.core.exceptions import PermissionDenied
+from django.core.exceptions import PermissionDenied, SuspiciousOperation
 from django.core.urlresolvers import get_resolver
 from django.http import HttpResponse, HttpResponseRedirect
 from django.shortcuts import render_to_response, render
@@ -31,13 +31,16 @@ def raises(request):
     except Exception:
         return technical_500_response(request, *sys.exc_info())
 
-def raises404(request):
-    resolver = get_resolver(None)
-    resolver.resolve('')
+def raises400(request):
+    raise SuspiciousOperation
 
 def raises403(request):
     raise PermissionDenied
 
+def raises404(request):
+    resolver = get_resolver(None)
+    resolver.resolve('')
+
 def redirect(request):
     """
     Forces an HTTP redirect.