Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Americans are split over whether large tech companies should be regulated more heavily, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
The survey of 1,522 adults aged 18 and older in all 50 states found that 48 percent of Americans believe the U.S. government should increase regulation of companies, such as Amazon, Facebook and Google, while 40 percent believe the amount of regulation should stay the same and 10 percent believe major tech companies should face less regulation.
Gallup conducted the survey from Aug. 1-14, beginning about a week after the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is conducting an antitrust investigation into U.S. tech companies to determine whether they are engaging in practices to reduce competition, stifle innovation or otherwise harm consumers.
The poll also sought to gauge Americans' overall approval of tech companies, finding that 46 percent had a generally positive view of the major firms, including 15 percent who have a very positive view and 31 percent with a somewhat positive view.
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Twenty-three percent of respondents said they had a somewhat negative view of tech companies, 10 percent said they had a very negative view and 22 percent said their opinion was neutral.
Democrats showed more support for adding more regulation on tech companies, with 56 percent voting in favor of an increase, while Republicans were slightly more divided on the issue with 48 percent calling for an increase and 39 percent preferring no change.
The survey was conducted with a 3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level, Gallup said.
