# FILE NAME: 00001862.soc
# TITLE: Should we ban all political advertising on social media? [e45884ce686003abd29205be0b645568]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - Final consensus statement: In general, the group were opposed to a ban on political advertising on social media. They felt that it was important for people to be able to express their views, and that it was important for people to be able to see the views of others. They did however feel that there should be a level playing field, and that all political parties should be able to advertise equally. They also felt that there should be some regulation on the content of political advertising, to ensure that it is not misleading or untruthful. Although advertising alone should not be banned, it was felt that it carries a high level of risk in terms of spreading disinformation and encouraging divisiveness, and this needs to be considered when putting in place regulation for political advertising.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - There should be no ban on political advertising on social media. However, all political parties should be able to advertise equally, and all political advertising should be subject to strict regulation to ensure that it is not misleading or untruthful.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - In general, the group was opposed to a ban on political advertising on social media. They felt that it was important for people to be able to express their views, and that it was important for people to be able to see the views of others. They did however feel that there should be a level playing field, and that all political parties should be able to advertise equally. They also felt that there should be some regulation on the content of political advertising, to ensure that it is not misleading or untruthful. They also felt that there should be consequences for political parties that are found to be spreading untruths and ‘fake news’ for political gain. They felt that social media should not be used to spread misinformation about political opponents. They felt that the electorate should be given the tools to understand and criticise political advertising, and that social media should provide this.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - The group was opposed to a ban on political advertising on social media. They felt that it was important for people to be able to express their views, and that it was important for people to be able to see the views of others. They did however feel that there should be a level playing field, and that all political parties should be able to advertise equally. They also felt that there should be some regulation on the content of political advertising, to ensure that it is not misleading or untruthful. We found it very difficult to come up with suitable regulation, so if anyone has any ideas for a code of practice, we'd love to hear them. Comment from Participant 3: while this is good , i would add in something  about concern for the spread of misinformation and fake news and how it impacts on society Further comments from Participant 4: I have reached a compromise view with the consensus group. I feel like a lot of what they are saying is how I think they are now, but that what they want to think is different. In terms of being able to express their views, and to be able to see other views, and also see how each individual (including themselves) in the group has reached their
2: 4,3,1,2
1: 3,2,4,1
1: 1,2,4,3
1: 3,1,4,2