The general consensus among Americans is that Big Tech companies should be broken up for violating antitrust behavior.
In a poll from YouGov and the thinktank Data for Progress, 60 percent of Republicans agreed that tech companies should be broken up and regulated. The poll, which was first reported by Vox, asked the opinions of 1,280 potential voters. Overall, YouGov found that seven out of ten people were in favor of breaking up Big Tech companies.
63 percent of Democrats also were in favor of breaking up Big Tech. 66 percent of those who identified as independent voters supported a policy that broke up Big Tech companies and undid recent mergers. All three demographics agreed that there should be more competition in the tech field.
67 percent of Republicans agreed that Big Tech companies like Google and Amazon should be broken up in order to ensure that these companies do not prioritize paid content. 68 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of independent voters also agreed.
In a more detailed breakdown of those polled, 61 percent of conservatives and 69 percent of very conservative voters were in favor of breaking up the tech companies. Conservatives are concerned about having their voices and ideas snuffed out by the ideological echo chamber at platforms like Facebook and Google. President Trump has expressed interest in breaking up Big Tech because they have not treated him or his followers very fairly.
74 percent of very liberal voters, 73 percent of moderately liberal voters, and 53 percent of independent voters wanted Big Tech companies broken up for antitrust violations. Democrats running for president have also picked up the torch calling for Big Tech companies to be broken up, mostly because of the privacy and data scandals that have plagued Facebook and Google. Senator Elizabeth Warren has incorporated a breakup of Big Tech in her campaign promises.
