---
title: "Fewer Americans now support TikTok ban, see the platform as a national security threat than in spring 2023"
description: "The share of Americans who perceive TikTok as a national security threat has also dipped – from 59% in 2023 to 49% now."
date: "2025-03-25"
authors:
  - name: "Colleen McClain"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/colleen-mcclain/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/25/fewer-americans-now-support-tiktok-ban-see-the-platform-as-a-national-security-threat-than-in-spring-2023/"
categories:
  - "Platforms & Services"
  - "Political Issues"
  - "TikTok"
---

# Fewer Americans now support TikTok ban, see the platform as a national security threat than in spring 2023

![A TikTok user records a video outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/The Washington Post via Getty Images)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_feature.png?w=640)
*A TikTok user records a video outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/The Washington Post via Getty Images)*

Public support for a TikTok ban now stands at 34% among U.S. adults, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. That’s down from 50% in March 2023.

[![A line chart showing that support for TikTok ban is down since March 2023, now at 34%.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_1.png?w=400)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202853)

For the first time, we also asked people what’s behind their view on a potential ban. Most who support one say concerns about data security and the platform’s Chinese ownership are major reasons for their view. Most who oppose think a ban would threaten free speech.

The share of Americans who perceive TikTok as a national security threat has also dipped – from 59% in 2023 to 49% now. These findings come ahead of an [April deadline](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/where-things-stand-with-tiktok-less-than-a-month-before-its-next-sale-deadline) for TikTok to be sold or face a nationwide ban.

Below, we look more closely at:

- [How views of a TikTok ban have changed](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/25/fewer-americans-now-support-tiktok-ban-see-the-platform-as-a-national-security-threat-than-in-spring-2023/#how-views-of-a-tiktok-ban-have-changed)

- [Why some Americans *support* a ban](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/25/fewer-americans-now-support-tiktok-ban-see-the-platform-as-a-national-security-threat-than-in-spring-2023/#why-some-americans-support-a-tiktok-ban)

- [Why some Americans *oppose* a ban](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/25/fewer-americans-now-support-tiktok-ban-see-the-platform-as-a-national-security-threat-than-in-spring-2023/#why-some-americans-oppose-a-tiktok-ban)

- [How views about TikTok and national security have changed](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/25/fewer-americans-now-support-tiktok-ban-see-the-platform-as-a-national-security-threat-than-in-spring-2023/#how-views-about-tiktok-and-national-security-have-changed)

**How we did this**

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans’ views about a potential TikTok ban, as well as their attitudes on whether the platform poses a threat to national security.

For this analysis, we surveyed 5,123 adults from Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors. [Read more about the ATP’s methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/).

Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_methodology.pdf).

#### []How views of a TikTok ban have changed

The public is closely divided on whether the U.S. should ban TikTok: 34% of Americans say they would support this, 32% would oppose it and 33% are not sure.

About a third of Americans (32%) supported a ban the last time we asked about it, too, in summer 2024. But over the longer term, support has declined considerably. Opposition has also ticked up, from 22% in spring 2023 to 32% now. And sizable shares have said they are unsure in every survey.

*By political party*

[![Line charts showing that Republicans’ support for a TikTok ban is down sharply since March 2023, but still higher than Democrats’.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_2.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202855)

Support for a TikTok ban has declined overall in both parties since March 2023, but Republicans remain more likely than Democrats to back the idea (39% vs. 30%). Still, the share of Democrats who support a ban has ticked up slightly since last summer.

Throughout this analysis, Republicans and Democrats include independents who lean toward each party.

##### By use of TikTok

Americans who don’t use TikTok themselves are far more likely than those who do to support a ban (45% vs. 12%).

In both groups, support is [about on par with last summer](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/05/support-for-a-us-tiktok-ban-continues-to-decline-and-half-of-adults-doubt-it-will-happen/), but down from spring 2023.

#### Why some Americans *support* a TikTok ban

[![A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that most who support TikTok ban cite data security, concerns about Chinese ownership as major reasons.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_3.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202857)

Among the 34% of Americans who support a TikTok ban, majorities cite each of the four factors we asked about as at least a minor reason. But data security risks and concerns about the platform’s Chinese ownership stand out: About nine-in-ten or more say each of these is a reason they support a ban.

These also stand out when we look at *major *reasons for support:

- 83% of Americans who support a ban say a major reason is that users’ data security is at risk.

- 75% say a major reason is their concern about TikTok being owned by a Chinese company.

- 54% say a major reason is the amount of inaccurate information on TikTok.

- 46% say a major reason is that people spend too much time on TikTok.

##### By political party

Among those who support a ban, large majorities of Republicans (84%) and Democrats (82%) cite data security risks as a major reason. But there are partisan differences on other reasons.

- Republican supporters of a ban are more likely than Democratic supporters to cite Chinese ownership as a major reason for their view (81% vs. 68%).

- Republican supporters are *less *likely than Democratic supporters to say the amount of inaccurate information on TikTok is a major reason (46% vs. 64%).

Similar shares of Republicans and Democrats who support a ban say a major reason for their view is that people spend too much time on TikTok (45% vs. 47%).

##### By use of TikTok

Overall, relatively few TikTok users support a ban. For those who do, data security again is a key concern, with 70% citing it as a major reason for their view. Among non-users who favor a ban, a larger share (85%) point to data security as a major reason.

TikTok users who favor a ban are also less likely than non-users to say a major reason is concern about Chinese ownership (56% vs. 77%). But statistically similar shares of ban supporters who do and don’t use TikTok cite the amount of inaccurate information (55% vs. 54%) and people spending too much time there (52% vs. 45%) as major reasons.

#### Why some Americans *oppose* a TikTok ban

[![A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that concern about free speech tops the list of four major reasons why some Americans oppose a TikTok ban.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_4.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202856)

Among the 32% of Americans who oppose a ban, large majorities again cite each of the four factors we asked about as at least a minor reason. But concern about free speech stands out as a *major *reason:

- 74% of Americans who oppose a ban say a major reason is that it would restrict free speech.

- 63% say a major reason is that TikTok provides people with information and entertainment.

- 61% say a major reason is that there isn’t enough evidence to call TikTok a threat to the U.S.

- 48% say a major reason is that it will hurt those who rely on TikTok for income.

##### By political party

Free speech is a key factor for opponents of a TikTok ban, regardless of party. Among those who oppose a ban, 76% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans say a major reason is that it would restrict free speech.

But Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to say a major reason for their opposition is that there’s not enough evidence TikTok is a threat (66% vs. 55%) and that a ban will hurt those who rely on the platform for income (51% vs. 43%).

##### By use of TikTok

TikTok users and non-users alike commonly say a major reason they oppose a ban is that it would threaten free speech. Among those opposed to a ban, 74% of TikTok users and 75% of those not on the platform say this is the case.

TikTok users are more likely than non-users to cite the other factors we asked about as major reasons for their opposition: that the platform provides people with information and entertainment (76% vs. 37%); that there isn’t enough evidence that TikTok is a threat (67% vs. 51%); and that it will hurt those who rely on the platform for income (57% vs. 31%).

#### How views about TikTok and national security have changed

In addition to views of a ban, we explored whether Americans [still see TikTok as a national security threat](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/10/majority-of-americans-say-tiktok-is-a-threat-to-national-security/).

[![A stacked bar chart showing that a declining share of Americans say TikTok is a threat to national security.](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_5.png?w=620)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=202854)

Today, about half of U.S. adults (49%) say the platform is a major or minor threat to national security. But this is down from a 59% majority in May 2023, the last time we asked this question.

This change reflects a drop in the share who see the app as a *major *security threat – from 29% in May 2023 to 21% now.

Another 23% currently say TikTok is not a threat to national security, and 27% are not sure.

##### By political party

The share of Republicans who think TikTok is a threat to national security has dropped from 70% to 54%, with the share who say it’s a *major *threat falling from 41% to 25%.

Over the same period, the share of Democrats who say TikTok poses a major or minor threat to national security has dipped from 53% to 46%. That includes about one-in-five Democrats who say it’s a major threat – similar to the share in May 2023.

*Note: Here are the [questions used for this analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_questionnaire.pdf), the [topline](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/SR_25.03.25_tiktok-ban_methodology.pdf).*