Most Americans Want Universal Internet Access, But Few Willing To Pay Taxes For It: Study

March 29, 2021 – A new study has found that 95 per cent of Americans believe internet access should be accessible to all, but only 33 per cent would be prepared to pay more taxes to make that a reality.

Another 33 per cent said they were “definitely unprepared” to make additional taxes and 34 percent said they were “unsure of their position.

The study by Self Financial, which surveyed 1,033 Americans between February 15 and 19, 2021, also found that two out of three people said they support the notion that the internet should be considered a utility. The study used Amazon’s Mechanical Turk survey platform and was released on March 3.

A key reason internet has been considered to be as important as basic utilities is that fact that approximately 21 million people lack internet access in the country, with some estimating it’s double that.

Even if Americans think internet access should be a right for all citizens, the study points out that not everyone agrees it should be at high speeds. Ninety five percent believed internet access was a right, but only 87 percent thought high-speed internet access was a right.

The study also found respondents concerned about enhanced government regulation if the internet is considered a public utility. The study found that when asked who they trust more to handle their internet data usage, 41 percent said nobody. Respondents said they would trust private companies like internet providers slightly more than the government, at 22 and 16 percent, respectively.