Poll: Americans Think Facebook Censors Their Views

(RTTNews) - Most Americans are of the opinion that social media companies like Facebook and Twitter actively censor political views that they consider objectionable.

According to a Pew Research Center study released Thursday, 72 percent of the public thinks its somewhat likely or very likely that social media platforms actively censor political viewpoints they find objectionable.

The study was conducted between May 29 and June 11 among 4,594 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error for the survey is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

The belief that technology companies are politically biased or engaged in suppression of political speech is especially widespread among Republicans.

85 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents think it is likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints. A majority, or 64 percent of Republicans, think that major technology companies as a whole support the views of liberals over conservatives.

In comparison, 62 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents think that social media sites censor political view points. 28 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners say these tech companies support liberal views over conservative ones.

43 percent of all respondents agree that tech companies support the view of liberals over conservatives, while another 43 percent say that these companies view conservatives and liberals equally.

Still, 74 percent of Americans said that the major technology companies and their products had more of a positive impact than a negative impact on their own lives. A smaller majority of Americans, or 63 percent, think the impact of these companies on society has been more good than bad.

Reflecting the undercurrent of public unease about the technology industry, roughly half the public, or 51 percent, feel that the tech companies should be more regulated than they are now.

In response to a question about whether major tech companies support the views of men or women, 58 percent of Americans said these companies support the view of men and women equally, while 33 percent are of the opinion that the views of men are supported over women.