Facebook’s decision to ban news content in Australia has sparked a global debate about its massive powers and the dominance of US tech firms over media organizations. This report delves into people’s opinions and concerns about Facebook’s actions and growing influence. Digital platforms and government agencies can leverage this data in their decision-making.

Facebook barred millions of Australian users from finding or posting news content on its platform for almost a week last month before backtracking on that decision. The social media giant was objecting to the legislation that would make it pay for news, a move the Australian government contends will level the playing field for both tech firms and the media. While Google went ahead and struck deals with several Australian media companies before the deadline, Facebook resorted to the ban and brought the government to the negotiating table once again. The contentious media bill, now a law, is a first of its kind in the world and could potentially encourage other countries that are mulling laws of their own to keep Big Tech in check. Given these developments, what do Britons think of Facebook’s news ban strategy, and how affected would they be if this happened in the UK? Piplsay polled 6,064 people nationwide to get some insights.

Other Insights

• 56% of men rely a lot on Facebook for news as compared to 44% of women
• 53% of Millennials and 47% of Gen Xers find Australia’s pay-for-news media bill fair
• An equal 50% of Millennial and Gen Z Facebook users would be comfortable moving to a different platform for news

Survey Methodology: This Piplsay survey was conducted nationwide in the UK from February 26-28, 2021. We received 6,064 online responses from individuals aged 18 years and older.