Twitter users overwhelmingly say they would rather abandon the social media platform than pay for it, according to a new survey published Friday.
Just 36 percent of participants said that they would probably pay for a monthly Twitter subscription service following Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s takeover of the company.
The Harris Poll, a market research and consulting firm, conducted the national survey Oct. 28-30 among 2,063 adults. About 1,210 of those polled were Twitter users. The survey asked participants questions about their thoughts on Musk, Twitter in general and the subscription proposal.
Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion last month, has floated the proposal of charging users $8 a month for a premium verification service. Currently, verification that’s signaled by a blue checkmark is free. There are thousands of verified accounts.
More than 60 percent Twitter users surveyed said they would ditch the platform if a monthly subscription were required.
Millennials and wealthier people were most likely to say that they would be willing to pay, the poll found.
Musk on Friday made mass layoffs at the company, citing “revenue challenges” as advertisers flee the site. The subscription service, he’s said, would help with finances.
More than 75 percent of Twitter users surveyed said they support Musk’s takeover of the site.
Shortly after taking the reins last week, Musk dissolved the company’s board and he was named sole director.
Musk has said he wants to make Twitter a space for free speech, after the previous company leaders championed strict guidelines meant to rein in misinformation and hate speech.
After a mob of angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try to stop the certification of President Biden’s win in the 2020 election, the former president was permanently banned from Twitter.
He’s since launched his own social media platform, Truth Social, and said he doesn’t plan to return to Twitter, if allowed.