Is there any relationship between a person's poltics... and the Web Browser they choose to use?
It turns out... yes. And, according to a new survey, it is a rather big one (at least among Computer Nerds).
- People who lean Left, prefer Firefox.
- People who lean Right, prefer Brave.
Many may have guessed this would be the case... and now we have hard numbers to prove it.
Here is the breakdown, per Web Browser.
It's important to note that this data comes from a survey of 7,200 IT Professionals and Computer Nerds -- with respondants from a wide range of technical and political communities (more details on that survey below). As such, while it provides a detailed look at the "Tech" world, it does not represent the broader populace (read: non-Nerds).
While there may be similar correlations in the general populace -- outside of the Tech world -- that is beyond the scope of this particular survey.
Let's dial in on just the top two Browsers -- Firefox and Brave -- for a moment.
A few obvious observations:
- Left-Leaning people overwhelmingly gravitate towards Firefox.
- Right-Leaning people tend to be more spread out in their web browser usage (using more of the minor browsers than Leftists -- Safari, Vivaldi, Edge, and Opera).
- Just the same, Right-Leaning people appear to prefer Brave more than Firefox by a significant margin.
- Centrists appear somewhat split between the Right and Left.
Here's a different view on that same data, which showcases -- for lack of a better word -- the lack of... diversity... in Web Browser preference among Leftists.
At first glance, this data makes a fair amount of sense.
Over the last few years, Mozilla (the parent company behind Firefox) has made a habbit of courting Left-leaning users -- and pushing away those on the political Right. Investments in Leftist causes, statements advocating for censorship of Conservatives, and the ouster of Brendan Eich as their CEO (for supporting a Right-wing political cause) have caused many Right-leaning people to look elswehere for their Web Browsing needs.
At the same time, many on the Right appear to have gravitated towards Brave as their new Browser... which was founded by Brendan Eich after his forced departure from Mozilla.
It may seem peculiar that the selection of a core piece of software has a direct -- and easily observable -- correlation to political leanings... but that is exactly what we have here.
About The Great Tech Industry Demographics Survey
This report is derived from data obtained between February 22nd and March 10th of 2024, as part of the Great Tech Industry Demographics Survey. During this survey, 7,200 respondents (a sample size many times larger than used by most polling agencies in national elections) answered 46 questions on a wide variety of technical, political, personal, and IT work-place related topics.
The survey was distributed by a wide range of writers, podcasters, YouTubers, & tech enthusiasts -- representing a variety of computing preferences (Windows vs Mac vs Linux, etc.) and political leanings.
The full, anonymous data will be released -- to allow for additional public analysis -- following a round of initial reporting by The Lunduke Journal.
If you are not already a subscriber to Conservative Nerds (part of The Lunduke Journal), now's a great time. At the very least, get yourself a free subscription so you don't miss out.
Find more information (including RSS Podcast feeds, links to some of the big shows, how to become a whistleblower, how to gain access to other parts of The Lunduke Journal, and more) at the Lunduke Journal Link Central page.