Today, NetChoice, a trade association committed to making the internet safe for free enterprise and free expression, released results from a new national poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of NetChoice. The poll finds only 3% of Americans cite antitrust reform as a top issue for Congress to address in 2021 among issues tested, and 59% of U.S. adults express concern about potential negative consequences of breaking up big tech following exposure to information about the potential negative outcomes of doing so. Instead, Americans enjoy the affordable or free-to-use services America’s technology companies provide.
“While pundits continuously push antitrust as a proposal to address their own political grievances, the majority of the American people clearly believe breaking up tech will negatively impact their choices online and the services that support their lives every single day,” said Steve DelBianco, President and CEO of NetChoice. “Americans aren’t interested in the dismantling of a world-leading industry if it means they would have to pay for services, watch small online companies disappear, or lose out on the latest technology.“
The data also shows breaking up big tech is an extremely low priority for the American people. Additional findings from the poll include:
- Only 3% of respondents say antitrust reform is a top-three policy concern among those tested.
- Antitrust reform is viewed as a lower priority for Congress than addressing issues like COVID-19, immigration, and national security.
- A majority of Americans oppose any breakup that has an unintended negative effect on consumers and the services provided by big tech.
- 60% of Americans oppose breaking up Amazon if it meant that two-day delivery options were no longer available.
- 59% of Americans oppose separating YouTube from Google if it meant they had to pay for YouTube.
- 52% of conservatives and 48% of liberals oppose breaking up Facebook if it meant a foreign tech company were to take a sizable share of the markets Facebook operates in.
- 57% of Americans oppose breaking up Apple if it meant iPhones were more vulnerable to being hacked.
“We must consider how fracturing America’s tech companies hurts the American consumer, the American economy, and America’s global competitiveness,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel for NetChoice. “American tech companies are global industry leaders whose ability to connect users regardless of their preferences is an asset to our competitive edge. We cannot let Americans fall decades behind on affordable and cutting-edge technology and watch our global competitors pass us by.”
This poll was conducted between January 29 – February 1, 2021, among a national sample of 2,201 U.S. adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Topline polling data can be found here. For more information, please visit www.netchoice.org/antitrust2021.
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About NetChoice
NetChoice is a trade association working to make the internet safe for free expression and free enterprise. NetChoice defends you and your business online.