Nearly three quarters of U.S. adults believe that social media and tech companies censor political views they don’t like, and that likely means conservative voices since nearly half say those same outlets support liberals, according to a new survey.
The latest mega-poll from the Pew Research Center found that 72 percent feels social media “actively censor political views that they find objectionable.”
And while the analysis does not conclude whose views are censored, Pew gives a major hint in reporting that 43 percent believe social media sites “support the views of liberals over conservatives.”
Pew indicated that Republicans feel the bias most.
“Fully 85 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents think it likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints, with 54 percent saying this is very likely. And a majority of Republicans (64 percent) think major technology companies as a whole support the views of liberals over conservatives,” said the survey.
Facebook and Twitter, meanwhile, have been holding secret meetings with Congress to discuss the censorship claims against Republicans.
The survey puts numbers on the claims by conservatives especially that they feel under fire on social media and targeted for censorship by outlets like Twitter and Facebook.
It also suggested that there is an appetite for greater regulation of the companies. Two highlights from an accompanying release:
- Among U.S. adults, 51% believe these companies should be regulated more than they are now; just 9% feel they should be regulated less, and 38% feel their current level of regulation is appropriate.
- Although Republicans are more likely to see an anti-conservative bias among technology companies, that does not translate to a broader desire for regulation of these companies. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 44% say the companies should be regulated more heavily; 57% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the same.
