In case you weren’t sure, a new poll of Americans asserts the notion that we don’t need or want to have our search engines or internet searches regulated by the United States Government. The same poll also revealed that we are pretty happy with our options for search engines and their performance.
The poll was commissioned by the National Taxpayers Union and carried out by IBOPE Zogby. The poll features responses from over 2000 Americans in a diverse variety of demographics. National Taxpayers Union Executive Vice President, Pete Sepp comments on the results of the poll and their implications:
“These poll results could not speak more clearly: across numerous demographic categories, Americans firmly believe the marketplace for finding information online is highly competitive; and the skepticism they’ve voiced over government intervention in this marketplace should serve as a warning against current, burdensome federal investigations of online search practices.”
Here are some key findings from the research:
* 87 percent agreed with the statement “I feel I can easily switch to a competing search engine if I’m not happy with the results I receive.”
* Respondents were then asked whether “the federal government should regulate the content and appearance of search engines and their results.” A whopping 79 percent strongly or somewhat disagreed with this idea, compared to 12 percent who strongly or somewhat agreed. The depth of opposition was striking – 64 percent strongly disagreed versus just 3 percent who strongly agreed.
* Participants were presented with arguments about more enforcement of federal antitrust laws, and then asked to choose which statement was most true. A massive 76 percent agreed that “More government involvement and regulation will make the Internet worse for consumers,” while just 8 percent thought that such involvement and regulation “will make the Internet better for consumers.”
* Skepticism over government involvement extended across ideological groups as self-identified liberals and Democrats expressed opposition to both search engine regulation and increased antitrust enforcement by roughly 3 to 1 margins.
Too true! I don’t think the government needs to get involved in anything more than they are now. We need to do a better job with the things they seek to control now, and stop worrying about things they’ll never be able to control anyway. Parents can censor material they don’t want their children to see and adults can choose not to look at content they find offensive. If you’re all grown up and feel you still need supervision, move to a communist country or have yourself committed.
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