B.A., cum laude, Connecticut College
Started on staff: 2018
Emma runs campaigns and organizational work across the state. She enjoys spending time at public parks and running trails and going down the shore with her family.
Imagine spilling coffee on your phone, or cracking your screen, or just getting some gunk under one of the buttons. Not great, but accidents happen! Now you just need to get it fixed.
If this sounds familiar, you may also recall a needlessly difficult process to fix your device. You may have encountered manufacturer-imposed restrictions on tools and repair parts, which limited your options. This is common, and it forces consumers to go to a "manufacturer- authorized" servicer, which leads to higher repair costs and, infuriatingly, often the need to just buy a completely new device.
It turns out that Pennsylvanians are fed up with this. According to a recently conducted survey, a vast majority of Pennsylvanians support the “Right to Repair,” a movement that aims to fix this broken system.
Right to Repair laws would require manufacturers of electronic devices, appliances, agricultural equipment and medical equipment to make repair information, parts, tools and software available to consumers and independent fixers. This means lower costs, more competition in the repair market, and fewer headaches. It also means fewer devices being trashed, and less toxic e-waste.
Here are a few of the main takeaways from our survey on Right to Repair:
Of all respondents, 68% support the Right to Repair, including 74% of Democrats, 60% of Republicans, and 64% of Independents. Only 9% of all respondents oppose the Right to Repair.
While the feelings of frustration and helplessness when trying to fix a broken device feel universal, 49% of survey respondents had not actually heard of Right to Repair before taking the survey. Once this group learned about the issue, they overwhelmingly supported Right to Repair.
This confirms the nearly-universal appeal of Right to Repair: Those with no knowledge of the issue quickly support it once they learn what it means.
Most respondents also indicated that this support would affect their vote at the ballot box: 51% say that they would be more likely to vote for a candidate if that candidate supports Right to Repair. While only 10% would be less likely to vote for that candidate.
B.A., cum laude, Connecticut College
Started on staff: 2018
Emma runs campaigns and organizational work across the state. She enjoys spending time at public parks and running trails and going down the shore with her family.