There was a recent study looking at this possible issue. They called it Search Engine Manipulation Effect [1]:<p>&quot;The fifth experiment is especially notable in that it was conducted with eligible voters throughout India in the midst of India’s 2014 Lok Sabha elections just before the final votes were cast. The results of these experiments demonstrate that (i) biased search rankings can shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20% or more, (ii) the shift can be much higher in some demographic groups, and (iii) search ranking bias can be masked so that people show no awareness of the manipulation.&quot;<p>[1]: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;112&#x2F;33&#x2F;E4512.abstract" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;112&#x2F;33&#x2F;E4512.abstract</a>