69% say social media companies have too much political power

Pew Research Center · Analysis released November 6, 2026

69% of U.S. adults consider social media companies too powerful politically, compared with 55% who say this about U.S. news organizations, according to a Pew-Knight Initiative analysis.

Behind the findings: The underlying American Trends Panel survey included 3,488 U.S. adults and ran June 22–28, 2026. Pew says it represents the U.S. adult population.

How to read it: The percentages describe people’s assessments of political influence, rather than measuring the organizations’ actual power. The chart shows only the “too much” response for two separate questions; the bars are not parts of one total. These are June responses presented in a November analysis.

Read Pew’s findings, questions and methodology