Two-thirds of Americans say U.S. tech sanctions are ineffective or counterproductive
Core finding
In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted April 9 to 15, 2025, 65% of Americans said U.S. export control sanctions on technology are not effective or are counterproductive in stopping sanctioned firms from developing dual-use technology. This includes 35% who said not effective, 19% who said slightly counterproductive in triggering those firms to develop their own technology, and 10% who said completely counterproductive.
About a third said the sanctions are effective in stopping sanctioned firms (35%), with 28% who said slightly effective and 8% who said very effective.
Topline scale
65% of Americans say U.S. export control sanctions are not working or are counterproductive.
That being said, to what extent do you think the US sanctions, by restricting the US technology, will succeed in stopping sanctioned entities from developing their own technology and alleviating the national security concerns?
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
That being said, to what extent do you think the US sanctions, by restricting the US technology, will succeed in stopping sanctioned entities from developing their own technology and alleviating the national security concerns?
Cite this question
Verasight MPSA Omnibus Survey #2025-026, fielded April 9-15, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.