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One thing almost all Americans agree is true: Misinformation is a problem

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Recent polling found that 95 percent of Americans believe misinformation is a problem.

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Sara Swann
By Sara SwannOct 08, 2021
Sara Swann

As a staff writer, Sara covers a variety of democracy reform issues, including voting rights, money in politics, gerrymandering and civic education. Prior to joining The Fulcrum in May 2019, Sara reported on local government on Maryland's Eastern Shore for the USA Today network. She is a native West Virginian and a graduate of Syracuse University.

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Nearly all Americans agree that the proliferation of misinformation online is a problem, but few believe they have played a part in spreading it, recent polling found.

More than eight in 10 Americans say misinformation is a major problem and 13 percent believe it's a minor problem, according to a survey released Friday by the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Misinformation is also seen as a problem regardless of political affiliation, the survey found, with large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents in agreement that it's an issue of concern.

Two-fifths of Americans are extremely or very concerned they have been exposed to misinformation, the poll found, and most people blame the spread of misinformation on social media platforms and their users, as well as U.S. politicians.

Blaming social media for spreading misinformation was popular across party lines, with 79 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Democrats ascribing the issue to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online platforms. That kind of consensus could lead to significant crackdowns on social media and tech companies. Facebook has come under fire recently for its role in spreading misinformation after a whistleblower testified in a congressional hearing that the site's algorithm amplifies misleading and harmful content.

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Most people were quick to blame others for this issue, with only one-fifth of those surveyed willing to take any responsibility. People were slightly more likely to say their friends (25 percent) or family (27 percent) have spread misinformation, even unintentionally.

To address the issue of misinformation, most Americans believed both institutions and individuals should play a role. Seven in 10 people said politicians should take steps to address the problem, and two-thirds said social media companies should do the same. Just over six in 10 people believe social media users and the U.S. government should do something to mitigate misinformation.

The nationwide survey gathered opinions from 1,071 adults online and via phone Sept. 9-13. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points.

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Podcast: Why conspiracy theories thrive in both democracies and autocracies

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Your Take: The Price of Freedom

Your Take: The Price of Freedom

Our question about the price of freedom received a light response. We asked:

What price have you, your friends or your family paid for the freedom we enjoy? And what price would you willingly pay?

It was a question born out of the horror of images from Ukraine. We hope that the news about the Jan. 6 commission and Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination was so riveting that this question was overlooked. We considered another possibility that the images were so traumatic, that our readers didn’t want to consider the question for themselves. We saw the price Ukrainians paid.

One response came from a veteran who noted that being willing to pay the ultimate price for one’s country and surviving was a gift that was repaid over and over throughout his life. “I know exactly what it is like to accept that you are a dead man,” he said. What most closely mirrored my own experience was a respondent who noted her lack of payment in blood, sweat or tears, yet chose to volunteer in helping others exercise their freedom.

Personally, my price includes service to our nation, too. The price I paid was the loss of my former life, which included a husband, a home and a seemingly secure job to enter the political fray with a message of partisan healing and hope for the future. This work isn’t risking my life, but it’s the price I’ve paid.

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Given the earnest question we asked, and the meager responses, I am also left wondering if we think at all about the price of freedom? Or have we all become so entitled to our freedom that we fail to defend freedom for others? Or was the question poorly timed?

I read another respondent’s words as an indicator of his pacifism. And another veteran who simply stated his years of service. And that was it. Four responses to a question that lives in my heart every day. We look forward to hearing Your Take on other topics. Feel free to share questions to which you’d like to respond.

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