Polling Shows Voters Side with Amazon in Antitrust Case

Voters say Amazon should prioritize consumer needs over seller demands

Dec 7, 2023

On Thursday, Chamber of Progress released new polling highlighting voter sentiment towards Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust claims against the online shopping platform. 

The polling – conducted after the FTC announced its antitrust lawsuit against Amazon – finds that a vast majority of consumers are very satisfied with Amazon Prime and believe Amazon should be able to highlight the lowest prices and offer the best services to consumers –  even if those practices hurt other sellers.

Read the full survey here.

“In today’s economy, voters want to know they’re getting the best price possible when they shop online. If the FTC won this case, Amazon shoppers would likely see higher prices and slower shipping,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “As we head into an election year, the last thing the Biden Administration should want to do is raise prices on Amazon or kill two-day shipping.”

The poll, conducted by Morning Consult, surveyed 1,984 registered voters with a margin of error of ±2%. The polling found that:

  • A majority (87%) of Amazon users are satisfied with their Amazon shopping experience, including two-in three (64%) who are very satisfied.
  • Two-day shipping is the most important reason Amazon Prime members subscribe to Prime (41%), followed by discounts (25%) and access to Prime video (24%).
  • Two-in-three (67%) voters are Amazon Prime members; and Democrats (70%) are more likely than Republicans (66%) to be Amazon Prime members.
  • While the FTC has defined Amazon as uniquely dominant in retail, slightly more voters said they had shopped at Walmart (80%) than on Amazon (78%).  50% of voters said they also shopped at their local grocery store, and 48% at Target – showing that consumers patronize many merchants.
  • When a product isn’t available or priced too high on Amazon, three-in-four (72%) voters say they would look at Walmart to find that product instead, and 39% would look at Target.
  • Nine-in-ten (91%) Amazon users say it is important to know they are receiving the best deal possible on the Internet when choosing to make a purchase on Amazon. One of the FTC’s complaints addresses Amazon’s policies to highlight the lowest-priced sellers online.
  • Two-in-three (68%) voters think Amazon should be allowed to feature the lowest price possible in its search results even if that means all sellers are not promoted equally.
  • Four-in-five (78%) voters say courts should allow Amazon to continue highlighting sellers with the lowest price online, even if that hurts other sellers.
  • When it comes to potential tech policy priorities, voters would most like the Biden Administration to focus on protecting consumers from scams or malware (41%). Only 10% of voters believe regulating Amazon’s policies should be a top Administration priority.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.