An overwhelming majority of citizens in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy (83% on average across all four countries) want the EU to be able to hold social media platforms accountable and demand changes to their algorithms, if they are found to be amplifying harmful content that is causing significant harm to our societies. The Yougov survey, commissioned by the global civic movement Avaaz, is released as MEPs finalise the details of the Digital Services Act.

One of the key debates about the Digital Services Act among MEPs right now is whether the regulation should only hold platforms to account for the acceleration of illegal content or also include harmful but legal content, such as disinformation. According to the survey however, citizens across the big 4 European countries are clear - with 80% supportive of the idea that the European Union should regulate social media companies to protect society from online harms including disinformation.

The survey - released as Frances Haugen testifies to MEPs today - also found that 76% are concerned about the dangers posed to their societies by the amplification of disinformation or hate speech, or the negative effects on young people; concerns also highlighted by Haugen, who has revealed and described online harms from COVID misinformation to lies about voter fraud, that can be extremely dangerous to citizens in the European Union and elsewhere - especially if accelerated far and wide by the algorithms.

Luca Nicotra, Campaign Director at Avaaz said:  “Lawmakers finalizing the Digital Services Act should be aware that it’s not just Frances Haugen, it’s the public at large that wants them to deliver regulation that keeps people safe. Letting platforms off the hook for accelerating harmful content to millions of EU citizens, and only holding them accountable for amplifying strictly illegal content, would ignore both the public will as well as Haugen’s findings. MEPs must not miss this golden opportunity to tame social media’s toxic algorithms.”

According to the survey, EU regulation should:

• be able to hold social media companies accountable and demand changes to their algorithms, if they are found to be amplifying harmful content, such as disinformation, that is causing significant harm to our societies - 83%
• require social media companies to provide detailed public reports on the risks their services pose to our societies and the measures they're taking against them - 79%
• require social media companies to share their data with academics, journalists, and civil society organisations to ensure they can't hide harms they know of and that they act appropriately to address them - 71%

MEPs are currently finalizing the Digital Services Act, with a vote in the leading committee likely in the next few weeks, and the final vote in the EU Parliament expected in December of this or January of next year.

Further poll results are below. Full poll results and methodology are available upon request.

Notes to editor:

• For more information, please contact Andrew Legon,  andrew.legon@avaaz.org / +34 600 820 285
• Unless otherwise stated, all data are provided by YouGov Deutschland GmbH. 1.054 Spanish, 1.015 Italian, 2.065 German and 1.013 French respondents participated in the surveys, which took place between the 03.11.2021 and the 05.11.2021. The results were weighted and are representative for the Spanish population (age 18+), the Italian population (age 18+), the French population (age 18+), and the German population (age 18+). 
• The “average across all four countries” is a simple average of the results of each of the four countries weighted equally strongly. Those were then rounded to the nearest percentage number.

Polling results:

• Question 1 -  How concerned are you about the danger posed to our societies by social media companies like Facebook or Twitter, including for example the amplification of disinformation or hate speech or the negative effects it can have on young people?
  • Spain - 74% very concerned or somewhat concerned and 24% not very concerned or not at all concerned
  • Italy - 85% very concerned or somewhat concerned and 14% not very concerned or not at all concerned
  • Germany - 73% very concerned or somewhat concerned and 22% not very concerned or not at all concerned  
  • France - 71% very concerned or somewhat concerned and 24% not very concerned or not at all concerned
  • Average across the four countries - 76% very concerned or somewhat concerned and 21% not very concerned or not at all concerned

• Question 2 - To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The European Union should regulate social media companies, to protect our societies from online harms like disinformation, hate speech, and the misuse of people's data.
  • Spain - 83% agree and 13% disagree
  • Italy - 85% agree and 11% disagree
  • Germany - 68% agree and 23% disagree
  • France - 83% agree and 12% disagree
  • Average across the four countries: 80% agree, 15% disagree

• Question 3 - To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The European Union should be able to hold social media companies accountable and demand changes to their algorithms, if they are found to be amplifying harmful content, such as disinformation, that is causing significant harm to our societies.
  • Spain - 89% agree and 8% disagree
  • Italy - 86% agree and 10% disagree
  • Germany - 75% agree and 15% disagree
  • France - 83% agree and 10% disagree
  • Average across the four countries: 83% agree, 11% disagree

• Question 4 -  To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The European Union should ensure social media companies provide detailed public reports on the risks their services pose to our societies and the measures they're taking against them.
  • Spain - 82% agree and 13% disagree
  • Italy - 84% agree and 11% disagree 
  • Germany - 69% agree and 18% disagree 
  • France - 79% agree and 13% disagree 
  • Average across the four countries: 79% agree, 14% disagree

• Question 5 - To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The European Union should require social media companies to share their data with academics, journalists and civil society organisations to ensure they can't hide harms they know of and that they act appropriately to address them.
  • Spain - 78% agree and 15% disagree
  • Italy - 74% agree and 16% disagree
  • Germany - 65% agree and 20% disagree
  • France - 65% agree and 21% disagree
  • Average across the four countries: 71% agree, 18% disagree