People in 26 countries prefer individual control to commercial or governmental control over online choice architectures

Large online platforms design online environments that steer user attention, raising concerns about a loss of user agency, autonomy and even manipulation. Yet little is known about who users themselves think should control their online environments, and under what circumstances. In our preregistered study, participants across 26 countries (N = 11,686) decided between combinations of three possible choice architects—governments, platforms, and individuals—and three objectives—societal, commercial, and personal—in seven real-world contexts. Across all countries, people strongly prefer to set their own rules for their online choice architectures. Preferences for governmental or corporate choice architects are mediated by the political environment, context of the online choice architecture, and participants’ political orientation. These findings stand in stark contrast to current practices and underscore the importance of incorporating user preferences into future regulations that govern online platforms, ensuring that they are more responsive to users’ desire for autonomy and agency.