Close to half of Americans back a ban or sale of TikTok, CNBC survey found

Nearly
half
of
Americans
are
concerned
enough
about
TikTok
being
a
threat
to
national
security
that
they
support
banning
the
social
media
service
or
forcing
a
sale
to
a
non-Chinese
company,
according
to
the
latest

CNBC
All-America
Economic
Survey.

But
the
poll
also
found
substantial
differences
of
opinion
on
the
issue
based
on
politics,
age
and
those
who
use
the
app
versus
those
who
don’t.

The
nationwide
survey
of
1,001
Americans
revealed
that
20%
of
participants
said
TikTok
should
be
banned
no
matter
what.
Another
27%
said
it
should
be
banned
unless
it’s
sold
to
a
non-Chinese
company,
meaning
that
altogether,
47%
of
participants
support
a
ban
or
a
sale.

Just
over
3
out
of
10
people
surveyed
oppose
a
ban.

The
poll
was
conducted
March
15-19,
kicking
off
just
days
after
the
House
of
Representatives

overwhelmingly
passed
a
bipartisan
bill
giving
TikTok’s
owner
ByteDance
about
six
months
to
divest
or
face
a
ban.
The

Senate
has
yet
to
take
up
the
bill.

ByteDance
has
launched
a
comprehensive
strategy
to
mobilize
American
opposition
against
the
ban.
Tactics
include
testimonial
videos
featuring
TikTok
CEO
Shou
Zi
Chew.
There
have
even

been
protests
staged
outside
the
U.S.
Capitol.

More
than
500,000
posts
on
the
social
media
app
use
the
hashtags
#KeepTikTok
or
#SaveTikTok,
and
they
largely
consist
of
videos
featuring
users
who
are
against
the
ban.

The
poll
also
found
that
younger
Americans
in
particular
aren’t
in
favor
of
disallowing
TikTok.
While
31%
of
participants
in
the
CNBC
poll
oppose
a
ban,
the
number
rises
to
48%
among
the
18-
to
34-year-old
cohort.
In
the
65
and
older
category,
just
11%
are
against
blocking
the
app.
Of
survey
participants
who
are
also
daily
TikTok
users,
about
two-thirds
think
the
government
should
not
prohibit
the
social
media
app.

“You’re
taking
away
our
First
Amendment
rights,”
TikTok
user
Ophelia
Nichols
told
CNBC
in
an
interview.
Known
as “shoelover99”
on
the
social
media
app,
Nichols
boasts
more
than
12.5
million
followers.

“People
don’t
understand.
This
is
a
community.
It’s
a
family,”
she
added. “Whatever
it
is
that
you
enjoy
or
that
makes
you
smile,
you
will
find
someone
else
on
the
app
that
loves
that
too.”

Nichols,
who
creates
lifestyle
content
and
lives
in
Alabama,
traveled
to
the
Capitol
when
she
heard
about
the
possible
ban.
Nichols
said
TikTok
didn’t
ask
her
to
join
the
protest.

Among
survey
participants,
40%
of
Democrats
were
in
favor
of
a
ban
or
forced
sale,
while
38%
were
opposed.
Meanwhile,
34%
of
independents
supported
a
ban
or
sale,
while
40%
were
against
it.
Six
out
of
10
Republican
participants
approved
a
ban
or
forced
sale,
even
as
former
President

Donald
Trump
in
a

CNBC
interview
opposed
blocking
the
app.

The
issue
may
be
more
fraught
for
Democrats
and
President

Joe
Biden
than
for
Republicans
and
Trump.
Biden
looks
to
be
struggling
to
hold
his
winning
coalition
together.
Further,
he
already
has
problems
with
the
youth
vote,
the
survey
found.

In
the
CNBC
poll,
Biden’s
approval
is
39%
overall,
rising
4
points
from
the
prior
survey
to
land
just
a
point
below
the
long-run
average
for
his
presidency.
However,
it
was
unchanged
for
voters
aged
18
to
34
at
33%,
7
points
below
the
long-run
average
for
the
group’s
approval
rating
of
the
president.

It’s
unlikely
that
TikTok
will
be
the
deciding
factor
for
many
votes,
but
with
the
candidates
in
a
virtual
dead
heat,
it
could
play
a
peripheral
role
in
a
race
where
small
margins
may
matter.

Also,
TikTok
supporters
have
a
substantial
platform
where
they
can
voice
their
discontent.

V
Spehar,
host
of “Under
the
Desk
News,”
a
short-form
news
show,
has
more
than
3
million
TikTok
followers
and
is
worried
about
keeping
them. “People
say, ‘If
we
shut
down
TikTok,
they’ll
go
follow
you
on
Meta,’
which
is
not
true,”
Spehar
told
CNBC. “And
it’s
not
true
for
so
many
people.
Otherwise,
we
would.”

Perhaps,
the
best
outcome
from
a
political
perspective
could
be
a
seamless
sale
that
users
don’t
notice.

However,
this
could
only
be
the
beginning
of
a
series
of
issues
that
set
national
security,
as
well
as
social
and
cultural
concerns,
against
tech
freedoms.
At
the
same
time,
it
pits
young
against
old
and
the
tech
savvy
against
those
who
are
less
so.

For
the
full
results
of
the
survey
click


here.