Voters Fed Up With Campaign Texts, Warn of Political Backlash
A new poll reveals Americans are receiving an average of 13 political texts and calls per week, with many stating this frequency makes them less likely to support a candidate.
Americans are increasingly frustrated by the volume of political text messages and calls they receive, with many indicating that excessive campaigning could lead to a negative reaction at the ballot box, according to a recent poll.
A survey conducted by phone number management company NumberBarn found that U.S. voters are bombarded with an average of 13 political calls and texts weekly as campaigns intensify their outreach efforts. The findings suggest that this high volume of communication may be counterproductive for candidates.
The poll revealed that six in 10 respondents found the campaign messages to be excessive compared to previous elections. Four in 10 participants reported feeling annoyed by the very first campaign message they receive, and 69% felt this way after the first three messages.
Furthermore, 72% of those who responded with "STOP" to a campaign text message indicated that they continued to receive political communications. A significant 46% of voters stated that receiving too many calls or texts from a campaign makes them less inclined to support that candidate.
The proliferation of messages has also led to practical issues, with over a quarter of respondents reporting they have missed or nearly missed important personal calls or messages because they assumed they were political spam. The increasing sophistication of campaign outreach is also a concern, as 71% of those surveyed suspected they had received an AI-generated political message. Despite this suspicion, only 10% expressed high confidence in their ability to distinguish between human-written and AI-generated messages, leading to strong support, with 86% favoring disclosure requirements for AI-generated political content.
Despite the high volume of communication, nearly a third of Americans are reportedly unaware of the date of the upcoming midterm elections. The NumberBarn analysis concluded that trust is a major hurdle for political outreach, with nearly 80% of Americans expressing distrust in the accuracy of information received via political calls and texts. The study suggests that increased message volume does not necessarily equate to increased influence, trust, or engagement.
To cope with the deluge of campaign communications, many Americans have taken measures to block or filter these messages. Twenty-six percent reported paying a fee to permanently block campaign calls and texts, while 57% have stopped answering calls from unknown numbers. An additional 23% utilize a "silence unknown callers" setting on their phones, and 10% have turned their phones off or used the "Do Not Disturb" function during peak election periods. Three percent have even gone as far as changing their phone number.
Regarding preferred communication methods, 51% of Americans believe political texts should only be sent to individuals who have opted in to receive them, and 20% advocate for campaigns to significantly reduce the number of messages sent.
The survey, which polled 1,006 U.S. adults in September 2026, aims to understand public sentiment towards political communication methods leading up to the midterm elections. NumberBarn, the company behind the survey, is a telecommunications service provider specializing in phone number management.