The TikTok ban is less appealing to the American public and most don’t believe it will ever happen, says a new report.
The share of Americans who support the government banning TikTok has dropped to 32%, down from 38% in fall 2023 and 50% in spring that same year.
Opposition to the ban has increased to 28% – up from 22% in March last year – and the share of those who are uncertain has risen from 28% to 39%.
The survey carried out by Pew Research Center also showed that half of adult Americans think it’s very or somewhat unlikely that TikTok will be banned in the US.
By contrast, 31% say the ban is at least somewhat likely, including 6% who believe it is very likely, according to Pew.
The survey showed that Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more supportive of the ban than Democrats and their sympathizers, with support for the ban standing at 42% and 24%, respectively.
“Still, support for a ban has dropped substantially within each party. In March 2023, 60% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats said they supported the government banning TikTok,” the report said.
Partisan differences persist
The report said that partisan differences persist in how people view TikTok, pointing to a May 2023 survey that found Republicans were more likely than Democrats to view it as a national security threat.
A similar poll at the time from Reuters/Ipsos also showed Republicans more likely than Democrats to view TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, as a tool for Beijing to influence Americans.
Overall, more than half of Americans viewed TikTok as a way for China to sway public opinion in the US.
According to Pew Research Center, attitudes also vary “dramatically” based on whether a person is actually using TikTok.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, TikTok users are far more likely to oppose (61%) than support (10%) the ban, with 29% unsure. Meanwhile, those who don’t use the app are about as likely to support the ban (42%) as to be uncertain about it (43%), with 15% opposing.
The TikTok ban has become less of a talking point in recent months as opposed to earlier this year, which could partly explain shifting attitudes. However, the fate of the platform in the US still remains uncertain.
In April, President Joe Biden signed a bill that required ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, but the legislation has been challenged in court.
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