Backlash concerns are among the reservations the social media users in the United States face when it comes to choosing to express views on political and social issues.
Even at the height of the political season – the presidential election – social media users opt to stay away from diving into political controversies on their pages. One of the fears being that their political views will be used against them.
Just 9% of adult social media users in the United States say they often post or share things about political or social issues on social media, findings of a newly released Pew Research Center survey say.
Conducted during Sept. 8-13, 2020, the survey reveals that 70% of social media users say they never (40%) or rarely (30%) dabble in expressing political views. One-fifth of those surveyed said they do not want to offend others with their views while some people say they have nothing to add to what is already being said.
Importantly, the survey sheds light on who tends to avoid public comments on political issues.
Republicans who identify as moderate or liberal are 15 percentage points more likely than conservative Republicans to say they never or rarely post or share about political or social issues (83% vs. 68%), a Pew report said.
Among Democrats, the Pew survey found, roughly eight-in-ten conservatives or moderates who use social media (77%) say they never or rarely post this type of content, compared with a smaller share of liberal Democrats (56%).
