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Here is a sentence I made up: “Some people say that internet has more positive effects, while some others argue that internet has more negative effects. Which do you prefer?”
I want to ask whether the word “prefer” is used appropriately here. I feel “What do you think” is a better question to ask than “Which do you prefer”, because we are comparing two opinions.
If we are comparing two objects or approaches, I know it is correct to use “prefer”, e.g. I prefer tea. I prefer shopping online.
You are correct in feeling "what do you think" is better. You could prefer an opinion but asking "which do you prefer" in that context isn't correct.
The statements "some people say the internet has more positive effects" and "some people argue it has negative effects" cannot both be true so it doesn't make sense to ask about their preference. It would be like saying "some people think 2+2=4 and some people think 2+2=5, what do you prefer?"
If the question was "some people think dogs are better and some people think cats are better, which do you prefer?" would be fine.
Both sentences sound perfectly fine to me. Prefer is just a more formal way of saying it. If I’m writing a formal essay, I would probably try to use fancier words like prefer, but in day to day talk I would just say, “What do you think?” You did use prefer correctly though.
