- Fewer than one in five Britons have a favourable opinion of Elon Musk.
- Nearly two-thirds of Britons who use Twitter say they hold an unfavourable view of its new CEO Elon Musk.
- 23 percent of US adults had a very unfavourable opinion of Musk in November 2022
It’s hard to remain ambivalent about a figure like Elon Musk. He is a driver of change who has transformed many industries. At the same time, his approach leaves something to be desired in the way of diplomacy.
Is he still popular? On which side of the Atlantic is he more liked? At BanklessTimes.com we decided to take a look.
40% of Britons want him to step down as Twitter CEO
According to YouGov UK data, four in ten Britons are in favour of the billionaire stepping down as CEO of the social medium. Almost two-thirds of Britons who use Twitter share an unfavourable view of the new CEO. Fewer than one in five have a favourable opinion of Musk.
The latest data reflects a growing trend: Musk’s popularity among Britons has been declining since his acquisition of Twitter in April. When you subtract the percentage of people with a negative view from the percentage with a positive view, you get what’s called the “net favorability rating.” In April, his rating was -17, when 23% of British people had a positive view, and 40% - a negative one. In December, only 18% had a positive view whilst 14% more people held an unfavourable, causing his rating to plummet down to -36.
Twitter gives users too much freedom
Musk declared he wanted to promote more freedom of speech when he acquired the leading social medium. A third (34%) of British people now believe it gives people too much freedom and allows too much harmful or offensive content, which needs to be removed. This is a slight increase from 32% in April.
Only 11% of Britons feel the platform doesn’t give people enough freedom and often removes or moderates posts that it should allow.
Among all Twitter users, just under 40% say it gives too much freedom and there are too many harmful or offensive posts. 14% of users think it doesn’t give enough freedom.
Comparison to the US
In comparison, in the US 13% of respondents shared a very favourable opinion of Musk and almost a third (29%) shared a somewhat favourable view of the CEO.
A third of Americans were inclined to approve Musk’s plan to buy Twitter in April. Their views remain relatively unchanged in December 2022, about eight months after the acquisition was announced and less than a month after the deal itself.
Just under a quarter thought it would be negative. In a December poll covering roughly the same number of respondents, whilst slightly more said his effect on the platform had been positive, the percentage of those who said it's been bad also increased to over a quarter.
However, just 37% of people think Musk is a "very influential" figure in the tech industry now compared to 52% back in April. Whether his influence is really diminishing or that’s just the perception Americans have is another matter.
Shifting views of his personal traits
Opinions on Musk’s personal traits have also changed over this period. In April, the majority described him as a visionary, an innovator, or an inventor. In December, more described him as a disruptor, impulsive, and right-wing.
Final verdict: Musk is more popular in the US
Based on the data available, it is evident that Musk is more popular in the US than in the UK. What difference does it make? Surely none for him personally. Market movements and stock prices have little to do with personal preference.
If everyone likes you, you're doing something wrong. At least one person should dislike you, like a business competitor or ideological adversary. Change and innovation will always be more important to a successful businessperson than the personal impressions they make on people.Jonathan Merry, CEO of Bankless Times
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