Americans Split on More Regulation of Big Tech

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As a group of state attorneys general prepare to investigate whether large technology companies have become monopolies, the U.S. consumers these officials aim to protect are divided on the need for such scrutiny.

Close to half of U.S. adults (48%) in an Aug. 1-14 Gallup poll say the government should increase its regulation of technology companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google. On the other hand, 40% believe government regulation of these firms shouldn't change and 10% think they should face less government regulation.

	Increase	Decrease	Not change	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
U.S. adults	48	10	40	2
Gallup, Aug. 1-14, 2019

Large technology companies maintain that they do not engage in anti-competitive practices. Nevertheless, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week, a number of state attorneys general -- believed to be a bipartisan group -- are preparing a joint antitrust investigation into possible anti-competitive practices by Big Tech. This is on top of similar inquiries already underway by the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission.

More View Technology Firms Positively Than Negatively

The 50% of U.S. adults who favor no additional regulation of technology firms aligns with the 46% of Americans in the same poll who have a generally positive opinion of the sector. That's significantly more than the 33% viewing technology companies negatively. Meanwhile, 22% say they have a neutral view of these firms. (See the table at the end of this article for detailed demographic breaks on views of technology companies.)

	U.S. adults
	%
Very positive	15
Somewhat positive	31
Neutral	22
Somewhat negative	23
Very negative	10
No opinion	*
* = less than 0.5%
Gallup, Aug. 1-14, 2019

Union Members, Liberals, College Grads Back Regulation the Most

Public support for bringing more government regulation to bear on technology firms is higher among traditionally left-leaning demographics -- groups typically more likely to favor increased government regulation of private entities. Roughly six in 10 self-identified liberals, union members, college graduates and Democrats say that government should increase its regulation of firms like Amazon, Google and Facebook.

Additionally, young adults are slightly less likely than seniors to favor more regulation of Big Tech. But rather than want to see regulation of the technology sector weaken, young adults are more likely to say the regulatory environment should not change.

	Increase	Not change	Decrease
	%	%	%
U.S. adults	48	40	10
Men	48	39	11
Women	48	41	9
Non-Hispanic whites	50	38	10
Non-Hispanic blacks	45	45	10
Hispanics	44	48	8
18 to 29	44	44	12
30 to 49	47	40	11
50 to 64	49	43	6
65+	52	34	12
College graduate	58	32	8
Not college graduate	43	44	11
Republicans	48	39	12
Independents	43	43	12
Democrats	56	38	5
Conservatives	44	42	12
Moderates	47	43	9
Liberals	59	33	8
Union member	60	32	8
Not union member	47	41	10
Gallup, Aug. 1-14, 2019

The gap between Republicans' and Democrats' views on regulating Big Tech is still relatively mild as far as partisan differences go. That could reflect the various cross-pressures created by a Republican presidential administration pushing for tighter regulation of an industry that's viewed more positively than negatively by Americans. But this bears watching as the investigations play out and consumers become more familiar with the issues at hand.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends.

	Positive	Neutral	Negative
	%	%	%
U.S. adults	46	22	33
Men	43	23	34
Women	48	20	31
Non-Hispanic whites	40	21	38
Non-Hispanic blacks	51	23	26
Hispanics	64	19	17
18 to 29	49	16	34
30 to 49	50	23	27
50 to 64	48	21	32
65+	33	27	39
College graduate	39	22	39
Not college graduate	49	22	29
Republicans	43	19	37
Independents	43	23	33
Democrats	49	21	29
Conservatives	43	20	37
Moderates	50	25	26
Liberals	43	20	37
Union member	49	24	27
Not union member	45	22	33
Gallup, Aug. 1-14, 2019