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October 9 Capitol Pulse Results: Congress Narrowly Trusts AI to Police Itself, Leans Toward a License-Plate Reader Ban, and Draws a Blank on the Protect College Sports Act
This week’s Capitol Pulse results look at whether AI companies can be trusted to police themselves, how Congress should handle license-plate reader networks like Flock, and how much Congress trusts the news media. The survey also asks about permanent daylight saving time and the Protect College Sports Act. The results show a narrow majority trusting AI companies, a plurality backing a federal ban on license-plate readers, and most respondents saying they don’t know enough about the college sports bill to weigh in.
Congress Narrowly Trusts AI Companies to Police Themselves
- Yes
- No
View data table
| Group | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Congress | 51.22% | 48.78% |
| Democrats | 56.10% | 43.90% |
| Republicans | 46.34% | 53.66% |
Congress is almost evenly divided on whether AI companies can police themselves. 51.22% say they trust AI companies to police themselves , while 48.78% say they do not.
Democrats are more trusting than Republicans on the question. 56.10% of Democrats trust AI companies to police themselves , compared with 46.34% of Republicans . A majority of Republicans, 53.66%, say they do not trust the companies to regulate themselves.
The result gives self-policing a narrow edge overall, with the parties landing on opposite sides of the question.
Congress Leans Toward a Federal Ban on License-Plate Readers
- Federal ban
- Regulate data and retention
- Leave it to local government
- Don’t regulate
View data table
| Group | Federal ban | Regulate data and retention | Leave it to local government | Don’t regulate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | 42.59% | 35.85% | 20.37% | 1.19% |
| Democrats | 51.85% | 40.74% | 7.41% | 0.00% |
| Republicans | 33.33% | 30.95% | 33.33% | 2.38% |
Asked what position Congress should take on license-plate reader networks like Flock, 42.59% favor a federal ban , the largest single response. Another 35.85% would regulate data and retention rules, 20.37% would leave regulation to local governments, and just 1.19% say the networks should not be regulated.
The parties differ in how far they would go. 51.85% of Democrats favor a federal ban , and another 40.74% would regulate data and retention rules. Republicans are split three ways: 33.33% favor a federal ban , 33.33% would leave regulation to local governments, and 30.95% would regulate data and retention rules.
Nearly all respondents favor some form of oversight, with fewer than 2% saying license-plate readers should go unregulated.
Congress Trusts the News Media a Fair Amount
- A great deal
- A fair amount
- Not much
- Not at all
View data table
| Group | A great deal | A fair amount | Not much | Not at all |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | 11.35% | 45.40% | 32.79% | 10.46% |
| Democrats | 15.38% | 61.54% | 19.23% | 3.85% |
| Republicans | 7.32% | 29.27% | 46.34% | 17.07% |
Congress expresses moderate trust in the news media. 45.40% say they trust the news media a fair amount , and 11.35% trust it a great deal. On the other side, 32.79% say they do not trust it much and 10.46% do not trust it at all.
The partisan gap is wide. 76.92% of Democrats trust the news media at least a fair amount , compared with 36.59% of Republicans . The most common Republican response is “not much,” at 46.34%, while 17.07% of Republicans say they do not trust the media at all.
Overall, 56.75% of Congress trusts the news media at least a fair amount, while Republicans lean toward distrust.
Congress Narrowly Rejects Permanent Daylight Saving Time
- Yes
- No
View data table
| Group | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Congress | 47.77% | 52.23% |
| Democrats | 55.00% | 45.00% |
| Republicans | 40.54% | 59.46% |
Congress narrowly opposes making daylight saving time permanent. 52.23% say the U.S. should not adopt permanent daylight saving time , while 47.77% say it should.
The parties split in opposite directions. 55.00% of Democrats support permanent daylight saving time , while 59.46% of Republicans oppose it .
The result echoes July’s Capitol Pulse, when most of Congress doubted daylight saving time would become permanent.
Congress Doesn’t Know Enough About the Protect College Sports Act
- Support it
- Don’t know enough
- Oppose it
View data table
| Group | Support it | Don’t know enough | Oppose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | 27.50% | 55.31% | 17.19% |
| Democrats | 5.00% | 70.00% | 25.00% |
| Republicans | 50.00% | 40.63% | 9.38% |
Most of Congress has not formed a view on the Protect College Sports Act. 55.31% say they don’t know enough about the bill , while 27.50% support it and 17.19% oppose it.
Republicans are far more familiar with the bill and far more supportive. 50.00% of Republicans support the Protect College Sports Act , compared with just 5.00% of Democrats . Among Democrats, 70.00% say they don’t know enough, and 25.00% oppose it.
Among those who have taken a position, support outweighs opposition by about 10 percentage points.