Most Americans don't know what their state spends on facial recognition
Core finding
Facial recognition spending is a blind spot: most Americans (52%) say they are not familiar with the current level of government spending on facial recognition technology in their state, according to an April 2025 Verasight survey.
One-in-five Americans (20%) think the level is about right. Critics lean toward overspending: 18% say it is too much or far too much, including 9% who say far too much, while 11% call it too little or far too little, including 3% who say far too little.
Topline distribution
Most Americans don't know what their state spends on facial recognition.
How would you rate the current level of government spending on facial recognition technology in your state?
n = 1,000 · Apr 9–15, 2025 · MoE ±3.5%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Apr 9–15, 2025 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.5% |
| Module | policy |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-mpsa-2025.tiiny.co
How would you rate the current level of government spending on facial recognition technology in your state?
Cite this question
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2025-026, fielded April 9-15, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.