TikTok Ban Losing Support: New Study Reveals American Opinion

Shifting Public Opinion on a Potential TikTok Ban

Recent findings from a Pew Research Center study indicate a decrease in support among Americans for prohibiting the use of TikTok.

The survey, encompassing over 5,000 adults residing in the U.S., revealed that only 34% of participants currently favor a ban on the short-form video platform.

Changes in Support Levels

This contrasts with a comparable study conducted by Pew in 2023, which showed 50% of adults expressing support for the TikTok ban.

Concurrently, the research demonstrates a growing opposition to the proposed ban over the same period.

The proportion of respondents opposing the ban increased from 22% in 2023 to 32% in the more recent study.

Partisan Trends

These trends were observed consistently across different political affiliations.

Support for the ban among voters identifying as Republican or leaning Republican has fallen from 60% to 30% since March 2023.

A similar decline in support was noted among Democrats, decreasing from 43% to 30%.

Usage and Support

Notably, individuals who do not utilize TikTok are significantly more inclined to support a ban compared to those who do.

Only 12% of TikTok users expressed support for the ban, while 45% of non-users favored it.

TikTok's Uncertain Future in the U.S.

Despite the diminishing popularity of legislation aimed at banning TikTok, the app’s long-term status within the United States remains unresolved.

The bill received support from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate.

Former President Joe Biden signed the TikTok ban into law last April, citing national security concerns related to potential surveillance by the Chinese government.

ByteDance's Deadline

This legislation mandated that ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, divest its ownership of the app to an American entity by January 19th – the day preceding the next presidential inauguration.

As the deadline approached and President Donald Trump prepared to take office, the TikTok application temporarily became unavailable.

However, access was restored after approximately 12 hours when President Trump extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell the app by an additional three months, until April 19.