Study Reveals Declining Support for TikTok Ban Among Americans
Recent findings reveal a decline in Americans’ support for a TikTok ban, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. With the growing popularity of this short-form video app, the landscape of public opinion is rapidly shifting.
Declining Support for a TikTok Ban
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey involving over 5,000 U.S. adults, uncovering that only 34% of respondents currently support banning TikTok. This is a significant drop from 50% in a similar study conducted in 2023.
Growing Opposition to the Ban
Interestingly, the survey also indicates that opposition to the TikTok ban has increased. In 2023, 22% of respondents were against the ban, which has now risen to 32%.
Trends Across Political Lines
Support for the TikTok ban has decreased across party lines:
- Republican and Republican-leaning voters: Support dropped from 60% to 30% since March 2023.
- Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters: Support fell from 43% to 30%.
The Impact of TikTok Usage on Ban Support
Notably, individuals who do not use TikTok were nearly four times more likely to endorse a TikTok ban. Specifically:
- 12% of TikTok users supported the ban.
- 45% of non-users expressed support for the ban.
Legislative Uncertainty Surrounding TikTok
Despite a decline in support for legislation aimed at banning TikTok, the app’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain. In April 2023, former President Joe Biden signed the TikTok ban into law, primarily due to concerns surrounding potential surveillance by the Chinese government.
Key Legislative Details
The legislation mandated that TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, must sell the app to an American company by January 19, 2024, the day before the next presidential inauguration. Here are some notable events that followed:
- As the deadline approached, the TikTok app was temporarily blocked for American users for approximately 12 hours.
- President Trump extended the sale deadline by three months, pushing it to April 19, 2024.
Potential Buyers for TikTok
Companies such as Oracle, Microsoft, and Perplexity AI have shown interest in acquiring TikTok. However, ByteDance has not suggested any plans to sell.
For more insights on social media trends and their implications, visit our Social Media Trends page.
