A plurality believe Musk’s purchase of Twitter will lead to greater free speech on the platform
Washington, DC, April 27, 2022 – In the days immediately following the announcement that Elon Musk has purchased Twitter, new snap public opinion research from Ipsos finds that a plurality (44%) believe Musk’s purchase of Twitter will cause the platform to allow greater free speech. A majority of heavy Twitter users (defined as daily or more), 54%, agree. Over half of these regular Twitter users also say Musk’s involvement in Twitter will improve the quality of discussion on the platform, up from 40% earlier in the month. Compared with our survey results in early April, views toward the role of social media platforms in removing certain types of content remain unchanged.
A snap public opinion research conducted by Ipsos between April 4-5, 2022 finds that the majority of Americans are not familiar with Elon Musk’s recent purchase of significant amounts of Twitter stock, making him the social media company’s largest single shareholder. Likewise, among the general public, the majority say they “don’t know” or think Musk’s involvement will have “no impact” on free speech or the quality of discussions on the platform. However, among heavy Twitter users (defined as daily or more), awareness is much higher, with two-thirds (65%) saying they are familiar with the purchase. A plurality of the “very online” also believe that Musk will “cause Twitter to allow greater free speech on the platform” (40%) and “improve the quality of discussion on the platform” (40%).
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between April 26-27, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The sample includes 346 heavy Twitter users, 174 light Twitter users, and 480 non-Twitter users. This survey is trended against an Ipsos poll conducted between April 4-5, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Americans age 18+ from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii were interviewed online in English. The sample includes 341 Democrats, 253 Republicans, and 406 independents. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, both polls are accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Americans been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. The poll conducted on April 26-27, 2022 also has a credibility interval of ± 6.5 percentage points for heavy Twitter users, ± 9.1 percentage points for light Twitter users, and ± 5.5 percentage points for non Twitter users. The poll conducted on April 4-5, 2022 also has a credibility interval of ± 6.5 percentage points for Democrats, ± 7.5 percentage points for Republicans, and ± 6.0 percentage points for independents.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is the world’s third-largest Insights and Analytics company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts, and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions, and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers, or employees. We serve more than 5,000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.
