Editorial Objectivity

Should search engines be able to preferentially promote their own services in their search results?

Nearly 3 in 4 people think that search engines should not be able to preferentially promote their own services.

vote	All (1226)
no, results should be objective	74.1% (+3.1 / -3.4)
yes, it is their search results	25.9% (+3.4 / -3.1)

There was essentially no split between men & women.

vote	Men (827)	Women (399)
no, results should be objective	73.7% (+3.1 / -3.4)	74.4% (+5.2 / -6.0)
yes, it is their search results	26.3% (+3.4 / -3.1)	25.6% (+6.0 / -5.2)

Older people tend to prefer/want more editorial objectivity, whereas younger people are more fine with search engines preferentially promoting their own services. Older people tend to be more fixed in their ways & younger people are much less so.

vote	18-24 year-olds (338)	25-34 year-olds (269)	35-44 year-olds (158)	45-54 year-olds (209)	55-64 year-olds (169)	65+ year-olds (83)
no, results should be objective	65.0% (+4.9 / -5.2)	76.0% (+5.1 / -6.0)	74.0% (+6.5 / -7.7)	71.2% (+5.7 / -6.5)	71.4% (+6.5 / -7.5)	87.2% (+6.1 / -10.4)
yes, it is their search results	35.0% (+5.2 / -4.9)	24.0% (+6.0 / -5.1)	26.0% (+7.7 / -6.5)	28.8% (+6.5 / -5.7)	28.6% (+7.5 / -6.5)	12.8% (+10.4 / -6.1)

Geographically, people in the south & midwest tend to be slightly more trusting, perhaps due to the lower cost of living & less competitive markets. However, any differences here are fairly minor & are within the margin of error.

vote	The US Midwest (244)	The US Northeast (367)	The US South (352)	The US West (263)
no, results should be objective	72.2% (+6.4 / -7.4)	77.7% (+4.5 / -5.3)	72.1% (+6.0 / -6.9)	75.9% (+5.7 / -6.9)
yes, it is their search results	27.8% (+7.4 / -6.4)	22.3% (+5.3 / -4.5)	27.9% (+6.9 / -6.0)	24.1% (+6.9 / -5.7)

People who are rural tend to be slightly more accepting of Google doing as it wishes, though this is also a small sample size & well within the margin of error.

vote	Urban areas (647)	Rural areas (106)	Suburban areas (453)
no, results should be objective	74.3% (+4.3 / -4.9)	71.9% (+8.5 / -10.5)	74.4% (+4.2 / -4.7)
yes, it is their search results	25.7% (+4.9 / -4.3)	28.1% (+10.5 / -8.5)	25.6% (+4.7 / -4.2)

There isn't a strong correlation with income on this issue either. People cared a bit more at higher income levels, but there was also a wider margin of error due to small sampling size.

vote	People earning $0-24K (142)	People earning $25-49K (677)	People earning $50-74K (316)	People earning $75-99K (75)	People earning $100-149K	People earning $150K+
no, results should be objective	72.0% (+7.8 / -9.4)	76.8% (+3.7 / -4.1)	68.7% (+6.1 / -6.8)	83.1% (+6.9 / -10.2)	Insufficient data	Insufficient data
yes, it is their search results	28.0% (+9.4 / -7.8)	23.2% (+4.1 / -3.7)	31.3% (+6.8 / -6.1)	16.9% (+10.2 / -6.9)	Insufficient data	Insufficient data

Categories: 

internet

Source: http://www.seobook.com/editorial-objectivity

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