Who knows the truth? Americans alert for misinformation, poll finds.
Americans from across the political spectrum say misinformation is increasing political extremism and hate crimes, according to a new poll that reflects broad and significant concerns about false and misleading claims ahead of next month鈥檚 midterm elections.
About three-quarters of U.S. adults say misinformation is leading to more extreme political views and behaviors such as instances of violence based on race, religion, or gender. That鈥檚 according to the poll from the Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
鈥淲e鈥檙e at a point now where the misinformation is so bad you can trust very little of what you read in the media or social media,鈥� said Republican Brett Reffeitt of Indianapolis, who participated in the survey. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about getting clicks, not the truth, and it鈥檚 the extremes that get the attention.鈥�
The Pearson Institute/AP-NORC survey shows that regardless of political ideology, Americans agree misinformation is leaving a mark on the country.
Overall, 91% of adults say the spread of misinformation is a problem, with 74% calling it a major problem. Only 8% say misinformation isn鈥檛 a problem at all.
Big majorities of both parties 鈥� 80% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans 鈥� say misinformation increases extreme political views, according to the survey. Similarly, 85% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans say misinformation increases hate crimes, including violence motivated by gender, religion, or race.
Overall, 77% of respondents think misinformation increases hate crimes, while 73% say it increases extreme political views.
鈥淭his is not a sustainable course,鈥� said independent Rob Redding of New York City. Mr. Redding, who is Black, said he fears misinformation will spur more political polarization and violent hate crimes. 鈥淧eople are in such denial about how dangerous and divisive this situation is.鈥�
About half say they believe misinformation leads people to become more politically engaged.
Roughly 7 in 10 Americans say they are at least somewhat concerned that they have been exposed to misinformation, though less than half said they are worried they were responsible for spreading it.
That鈥檚 consistent with previous polls that have found people are more likely to blame others than accept responsibility for the spread of misinformation.
Half of U.S. adults also believe misinformation reduces trust in government.
鈥淛ust because it鈥檚 on the internet doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 true,鈥� said Shirley Hayden, a Republican from Orange, Texas. 鈥淎 lot of it is opinions and a lot of it is just troublemaking. I don鈥檛 believe any of it anymore.鈥�
The poll finds that Americans who rate misinformation as a major problem are more likely to say it contributes to extreme political beliefs and distrust of government than those who do not. They鈥檙e also more likely to try to reduce the spread of misinformation by running claims by multiple sources or fact-checking websites.
Overall, roughly three-quarters of adults say they have decided not to share something on social media at least some of the time because they didn鈥檛 want to spread misinformation, including about half who do that most of the time. Similar percentages regularly check the sources of news they encounter and check other sources of information to ensure they鈥檙e not encountering misinformation.
Only 28% of Americans consult fact-checking sites or tools 鈥渕ost of the time,鈥� though an additional 35% do some of the time. About a third say they do so hardly ever or never.
鈥淢y Facebook page is loaded with this stuff. I see it on TV. I see it everywhere,鈥� Democrat Charles Lopez from the Florida Keys said of the misinformation he encounters. 鈥淣obody does the research to find out if anything is fake or not.鈥�
Whether it鈥檚 lies about the 2020 election or the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, or disinformation about Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, online misinformation has been blamed for increased political polarization, distrust of institutions, and even real-world violence.
The spread of misinformation in recent decades has coincided with the rise of social media and declines in traditional, often local journalism outlets.
The results of the Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll didn鈥檛 surprise Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise, a media literacy initiative launched by the Poynter Institute that works to equip individuals with defenses in the fight against misinformation.
鈥淵ou have uncertainty, polarization, the decline of local news: it鈥檚 a perfect storm that鈥檚 created a flood of misinformation,鈥� Mr. Mahadevan said.
People can teach themselves how to spot misinformation and avoid falling for dubious claims, according to Helen Lee Bouygues, founder and president of the Paris-based Reboot Foundation, which researches and promotes critical thinking in the internet age.
First, rely on a variety of trusted, established sources for news and fact checks, Ms. Bouygues said.
She also encouraged people to double-check claims that seem designed to play on emotions like anger or fear, and to think twice about reposting content that relies on loaded language, personal attacks, or false comparisons.
鈥淭here are steps people can take 鈥� simple steps 鈥� to protect themselves,鈥� Ms. Bouygues said.
Mr. Lopez, the survey respondent from Florida, said he has lost friends after pushing back on misinformation they posted online and that new laws are needed to force tech companies to do more to address misinformation. Maybe that will happen, he said, if voters can pierce the fog of misinformation ahead of next month鈥檚 election.
鈥淵ou can always have hope,鈥� Mr. Lopez said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see what happens after this election. You may want to call me back then.鈥�
This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽AP writer Nuha Dolby in New York contributed to this report.聽The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted Sep. 9-12 using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
