11/10/2021

Three out of Four Adults Think Facebook is Making Society Worse

The data reflect opinions expressed in a CNN poll

Roughly three-quarters of adults believe Facebook is making American society worse, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, with about half saying they know somebody who was persuaded to believe in a conspiracy theory because of the site's content.

Americans say, 76 percent to 11 percent, that Facebook makes society worse, not better, according to the survey. Another 13 percent say it has no effect either way. That broadly negative appraisal holds across gender, age and racial lines. Even frequent Facebook users -- those who report using the site at least several times a week -- say 70 percent to 14 percent that the social network harms, rather than helps, US society. Although majorities across parties say Facebook is doing more harm than good, that feeling spikes among Republicans (82 percent).

Among the majority overall who think Facebook is worsening society, however, there's less of an overwhelming consensus on whether or not the platform itself is primarily to blame: 55 percent say that the way some people use Facebook is more at fault, with 45 percent saying it's more due to the way Facebook itself is run.

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