Only three in ten Americans support TikTok ban included in US military and foreign aid package passed by Senate

Only three in ten Americans support TikTok ban included in US military and foreign aid package passed by Senate – Savanta

Just three in ten (28%) Americans support provision for a nationwide ban against TikTok included in Senate’s Ukraine military support and foreign aid package, according to new polling from market research consultancy Savanta
The research of 2,000 US adults suggests two thirds (60%) say their friends would still keep using the popular social media app if a ban comes into place
US public say the most likely outcome of a nationwide ban would be to increase their usage of other video-based apps, such as YouTube (34%) and Instagram (30%)
However, seven in ten (69%) say social media companies including TikTok do need to do more to protect their personal data, including from foreign governments
24 April 2024 – Just three in ten (28%) Americans support the provision for a nationwide ban against TikTok that was included as part of the US Senate’s Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan military support and foreign aid package, according to polling from market research consultancy Savanta.

Opposition to the potential ban – which would prohibit TikTok from US app stores unless its sold by ByteDance – increases to 56% among 18-34 year olds. 23% of the US public say they are unsure of their view, with President Biden expected to sign the wider legislation into law today (Wednesday).

Research of 2,000 US adults casts doubts over the effectiveness of the bipartisan provision even if it does become law, with two thirds (60%) saying their friends would still keep using the popular social media app if a ban comes into place.

The US public say that the most likely outcome of a nationwide ban would be to increase their usage of other video-based apps, such as YouTube (34%), Instagram (30%) and Facebook (30%).

However, seven in ten (69%) Americans say social media companies including TikTok do need to do more to protect their personal data, including from foreign governments, one of the main arguments advanced by proponents of the bill. Only 22% say social media companies do enough to protect user’s personal data.

Ethan Granholm, Research Analyst at Savanta says,

“Our research suggests a striking concern from the US public about the ability of lawmakers to deliver and actually implement a ‘TikTok ‘ban’. Politicians should be aware of the general opposition to their bill, and what polling suggests the actual outcome of passing it would be.”

“Younger people – seen as key to the outcome of the presidential election – are particularly opposed. Many suggest their friends would simply keep using the app if they can, or otherwise switch to YouTube and Instagram, who are set to be the real winners here.”

“While TikTok enjoys public support right now, they should be aware there are real concerns about how they use personal data, with some already suggesting they have decreased usage of the app as a consequence. Consumers may well vote with their feet before lawmakers do, forcing TikTok to act.”

More broadly, there is significant alarm among the US public about how social media companies are run. Six in ten (59%) agree that “social media companies need to do more to tackle harmful speech and imagery on their platforms”, while nearly half (46%) are worried that social media platforms are able to influence US elections.