Should Facebook let Trump back on? A new poll shows a slim majority want to lift the ban

A Facebook (FB) oversight board is weighing whether to permanently ban former President Donald Trump over his role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and a new Yahoo Finance online poll shows a narrow majority of people believe the ban should be lifted now.

The survey of 11,698 respondents to an online poll posted on Yahoo Finance earlier this month found that just over 50% believe Facebook should allow Trump back on the platform, while 44% say he should be permanently banned. The remaining respondents offered a variety of other potential options including lifting the ban with a warning that further violations would result in a final permanent ban.

When viewed through the lens of respondents’ political affiliations, though, the difference is far starker. Of the 2,546 self-described Republicans, 77% say the ban should be lifted. Some 48% of the 5,802 independents who responded felt the same. The majority of the 2,162 Democrats, meanwhile, support upholding the ban, with 75% saying it should remain in place.

What’s more, 78% of Democrats and 50% of independents say Facebook took too long in banning Trump. Just 25% of Republicans felt the same.

Facebook initially took action against Trump in the midst of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol during which throngs of Trump supporters crashed through police barricades and stormed the Capitol building where members of Congress were voting to certify the results of the 2020 election. Scores were injured and 5 people died.

As his supporters fought police and vandalized lawmakers’ offices, Trump posted a short video to Facebook telling supporters to go home, but continuing to spread lies about the election results. Facebook took down that video an hour after it was posted citing an “emergency situation.”

The company indefinitely suspended Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram on Jan. 7. Twitter (TWTR) permanently banned Trump on Jan. 8.

On Jan. 21, Facebook sent the decision to its newly formed Oversight Board, a panel of judges made up of experts and public figures from around the globe. The board was given 90 days to decide on the ban, meaning a decision is due late in April.

As for whether Facebook should have the power to ban elected officials, Yahoo Finance readers were split, with about 50% in favor of banning politicians and 50% opposed. Seventy-three percent of Republicans believe Facebook shouldn’t be able to ban politicians.

Democrats held the opposite belief, with 80% saying the company should have the right. Independents were split with 51% saying Facebook should be able to ban elected officials and 48% saying they shouldn’t.

Top figures in the tech and legal world have weighed in on all sides with Yahoo Finance in recent weeks over whether Facebook should allow Trump on the platform.

Supporters of the ban point to the violence inspired by Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and the amplification it receives on Facebook. Meanwhile, critics of Trump’s removal consider such concerns overblown and stress the importance of an inclusive approach to speech on a platform that plays a central role in the public conversation.