New Poll Reveals Strong Bipartisan Opposition to Proposed Ban on State AI Laws

SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, 2025 — Common Sense Media and Echelon Insights today released the findings of a new poll showing that Americans across the political spectrum strongly oppose a decade-long ban on state AI safety laws included in the budget reconciliation bill narrowly passed by the House on May 22 and now being considered by the Senate.

"As this reckless ban on AI safety laws is considered in the Senate, there are three reasons why it should be stripped from the budget reconciliation bill that the House narrowly approved," said Common Sense Media founder and CEO James P. Steyer. "First, a ban on state AI laws is not a budget matter and has no place in the budget reconciliation bill. Second, preventing states from enforcing AI laws is irresponsible and indefensible. Not only does it infringe on states' rights, it stops states from regulating AI without putting any federal protections in place, leaving families to fend for themselves against the most powerful technology of our time. And the third reason to strip the ban from the big budget bill is what we found in our new poll — the American people hate it, and for very good reasons."

"The numbers are clear," said Echelon Insights partner and co-founder Kristen Soltis Anderson. "Voters are concerned about the potential dangers AI-generated content can pose to kids and teens, and say they don't want the federal government to tell states what they can and can't do about the issue."

The key takeaways from the poll include:

• Concern about the potential effects of AI — especially on kids and teens — is widespread and bipartisan.
  • 93% of voters — including 95% of Republicans — are concerned about kids being exposed to highly sexualized AI-generated content online. Nine-in-ten (90%) worry about the effect of social media on kids and teens.
  • Some 86% of voters prefer an approach that focuses on protecting kids and teens from dangers online, while only 7% prioritize an approach that generally avoids regulation in pursuit of economic growth and innovation.
• Voters — including Republicans — do not want the budget reconciliation bill to pre-empt state efforts on AI.
  • 81% of voters overall agree that "advances in AI are exciting but also bring risks, and in such fast-moving times, we shouldn't force states to sit on the sidelines for a full decade." This includes 78% of Republicans.
  • 73% of voters want both states AND the federal government to regulate AI.
  • Most voters (59%) oppose including a provision into the budget bill that would preempt states from being able to regulate AI for a ten-year period. By a 19-point margin, more Republicans oppose (50%) than support (31%) this provision as well.
  • A majority of voters (52%) say the provision makes them less likely to support the budget bill, with only 15% of voters saying the provision makes them more likely to support the budget bill.
• Voters may support innovation and technology, but they don't want it to come at the expense of kids' well-being.
  • 70% of voters overall — including 68% of Republicans — say that Congress should not prohibit states from enacting or enforcing AI and tech regulation because it could roll back protections for kids and teens from online dangers.

The poll surveyed 1,022 voters across the country. More information can be found here.

Earlier this month, Common Sense Media led a coalition of 77 organizations in calling on congressional leadership to reject the proposed ban on the enforcement of state AI laws.

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users worldwide and 1.4 million educators every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.

About Echelon Insights

Founded by experts from the digital and polling worlds, Echelon Insights is erasing old industry lines that separate the process of conducting research from the tools to act on it.