A majority of Americans support removing TikTok from app stores in the U.S. after it was revealed that the company shares Americans’ user data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a new Trafalgar poll.
Republicans were the most likely partisan group to support a ban, with nearly 77% in favor and just 18.5% opposed. A majority of independents also supported a ban, but just 39% of Democrats did, Trafalgar found.
New @trafalgar_group/@COSProject #poll shows majority (58.6%) of #Americans support removal of #TikTok from app stores due to data being accessible to #China. Only 17.8% oppose.
Party breakdown of support
39.2% #Dem
76.8% #GOP
56.9% #IndsReport: https://t.co/MlUtwwWTep pic.twitter.com/6RVxnwSDe1
— The Trafalgar Group (@trafalgar_group) July 20, 2022
Cybersecurity experts have long warned that TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has the ability to collect users’ personal data and share it with the CCP, which maintains a tight grip over most major businesses in China. Additionally, many fear that the app has a negative effect on the social and psychological development of teens and young kids. The app has quickly become the most popular form of social media for young Americans. (RELATED: Federal Judge Blocks TikTok Ban, Giving Chinese App An Opening To Settle Deal With Oracle)
Former President Donald Trump’s administration did attempt to move forward with a ban on the app but the effort became entangled in the court system. President Joe Biden has not given any indication he plans to pursue a similar policy, but Republican lawmakers who are hawkish on China have continued to push the issue.
The Trafalgar poll was commissioned by the Convention of States Project. It was conducted between July 7-10 and surveyed 1,078 respondents with a margin of error of 2.9%.