On Sept. 15, KFF launched three follow-up studies analyzing the publicity to, and perception in, well being misinformation amongst key teams, in addition to their belief in numerous sources of well being misinformation:
Introduction
Whereas well being misinformation and disinformation lengthy preceded the pandemic, the pervasiveness of false and inaccurate details about COVID-19 and vaccines introduced into additional focus the extent to which misinformation can distort public well being coverage debates and impression the well being selections people make. KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor surveys in 2021 and 2022 discovered that giant shares of the general public believed or had been unsure about false claims associated to COVID vaccines and coverings, together with myths in regards to the vaccines’ results on being pregnant and fertility. These surveys additionally highlighted the roles of conventional and social media as automobiles for spreading and/or combatting misinformation, exhibiting a robust relationship between people’ trusted information sources and their propensity to imagine false claims about COVID-19.
KFF has targeted on offering dependable, correct, and non-partisan data to assist inform well being coverage in the US. But, in a time the place health-related misinformation is so simply accessible and disseminated, understanding the dynamics of misinformation is necessary to assist guarantee a strong and fact-based well being coverage surroundings. With this understanding, KFF is designing a brand new program that can establish and monitor the rise and prevalence of health-related misinformation in the US, with a particular concentrate on communities which are most adversely affected by well being misinformation.
KFF is releasing our Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot Pilot as a part of this effort, analyzing the general public’s media use and belief in sources of well being data and measuring the attain of particular false and inaccurate claims surrounding three health-related matters: COVID-19 and vaccines, reproductive well being, and gun violence. Accompanying this overview report of the pilot ballot, KFF additionally launched snapshot studies to the sector, analyzing the implications for understanding and combatting misinformation amongst Black adults, Hispanic adults, and rural residents. Future surveys will discover different well being matters for which misinformation has been discovered to be circulating.
The Misinformation Monitoring Ballot will work in tandem with our forthcoming Well being Misinformation Monitor, an in depth report of the panorama of present well being misinformation messages circulating among the many public, despatched on to professionals working to fight misinformation. The Misinformation Monitor shall be an integral a part of KFF’s efforts to deeper analyze the dynamics of misinformation and inform a strong, fact-based well being data surroundings, and can inform the matters we’ll ask about on future Well being Misinformation Monitoring Polls.
Key Takeaways for the Discipline
Well being misinformation is widespread, but the KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot Pilot presents a extra nuanced perspective on what data individuals imagine. Beliefs influenced by misinformation are usually not universally entrenched, and a good portion of the general public falls within the center, prone to false claims, however not already purchased in. These people maintain tentative beliefs that lean in direction of or in opposition to misinformation, offering a chance to foster a extra fact-based public understanding of well being points and knowledgeable dialogue.
Whereas it’s true that the majority adults have heard or learn most of the false and inaccurate well being claims requested about within the survey, comparatively small shares of the general public have each heard and imagine misinformation about central well being matters comparable to COVID-19 and vaccines, reproductive well being, and firearm violence and security. Furthermore, whereas there are some adults who, when introduced with false and inaccurate well being misinformation, say they imagine them to be positively true, it is a comparatively small share of the general public. Most adults are unsure about varied objects of well being misinformation and fall in a doubtlessly “malleable center” who say the claims are “most likely” true or “most likely” false. Whereas publicity to misinformation might not essentially convert the general public into ardently believing false well being claims, it’s possible including to confusion and uncertainty about already difficult public well being matters and will result in choice paralysis relating to particular person well being care behaviors and selections. In any case, this “malleable center” presents a chance for tailor-made interventions.
Moreover, reinforcing correct data might must go hand-in-hand with combatting false well being claims. When adults within the survey had been requested to supply an instance of COVID-19 misinformation they’ve learn or heard, some people introduced true claims as examples of misinformation. Whereas the main target of some anti-misinformation efforts is on combating false claims that flow into broadly, the survey reveals that there’s a parallel problem of true claims not being believed. This discovering suggests allocating ample consideration to addressing the skepticism and disbelief surrounding correct data.
Some teams appear to be extra prone to misinformation than others, with bigger shares of Black and Hispanic adults, these with decrease ranges of academic attainment, and those that establish politically as Republicans or lean that manner saying most of the misinformation objects examined within the ballot are “most likely true” or “positively true.” Information sources additionally matter as those that say they repeatedly devour information from One America Information Community (OANN), Newsmax, and to a smaller extent Fox Information, are persistently extra prone to imagine many of the misinformation objects requested about within the survey.
Media and different messengers can undoubtedly play a key position in efforts to deal with and to counter well being misinformation. Native TV information and community information are among the many most used information sources and likewise among the many almost definitely to be trusted relating to well being data. Whereas many adults report steadily utilizing social media, few say they’d belief well being data they might see on these platforms. Regardless of this, adults who steadily use social media to seek out well being data and recommendation usually tend to imagine that sure false statements about COVID-19 and reproductive well being are positively or most likely true.
In an age of declining belief in establishments, some sources are extra trusted than others and will have an necessary position to play in addressing misinformation. As probably the most trusted supply of well being data for the general public, particular person docs might have a vital position to play in serving to dispel false well being claims. Moreover, whereas few media sources are broadly trusted by the general public as a supply of well being data, native information stations and community TV information stand out for his or her widespread use as a supply of stories and their comparatively excessive stage of belief among the many public.
The next are the precise health-related claims which were proven to be false, which had been requested about on this KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot pilot survey. See the Appendix for extra data the sources used to doc every declare:
False claims about COVID-19 and vaccines:
“The COVID-19 vaccines have brought on hundreds of deaths in in any other case wholesome individuals.”
“Ivermectin is an efficient remedy for COVID-19.”
“The COVID-19 vaccines have been confirmed to trigger infertility.”
“Extra individuals have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than have died from the COVID-19 virus.”
“The measles, mumps, rubella vaccines, often known as MMR, have been confirmed to trigger autism in youngsters.”
False claims about reproductive well being:
“Utilizing contraception just like the capsule or IUDs makes it tougher for most girls to get pregnant after they cease utilizing them.”
“Intercourse schooling that features details about contraception and contraception will increase the chance that teenagers shall be sexually energetic.”
False claims about gun violence:
“Individuals who have firearms at dwelling are much less prone to be killed by a gun than individuals who shouldn’t have a firearm.”
“Most gun homicides in the US are gang associated.”
“Armed college police guards have been confirmed to forestall college shootings.”
False declare in regards to the Reasonably priced Care Act:
Along with the false claims above, the survey additionally requested in regards to the longstanding false declare that the Reasonably priced Care Act established authorities “demise panels” for individuals of Medicare within the query under:
“To one of the best of your information, did the Reasonably priced Care Act set up a authorities panel to make selections about end-of-life look after individuals on Medicare?”
Publicity to and Perception in Well being Misinformation Claims
General, well being misinformation is broadly prevalent within the U.S. with 96% of adults saying they’ve heard at the least one of many ten objects of health-related misinformation requested about within the survey. Probably the most widespread misinformation objects included within the survey had been associated to COVID-19 and vaccines, together with that the COVID-19 vaccines have brought on hundreds of deaths in in any other case wholesome individuals (65% say they’ve heard or learn this) and that the MMR vaccines have been confirmed to trigger autism in youngsters (65%).
No matter whether or not they have heard or learn particular objects of misinformation, the survey additionally requested individuals whether or not they assume every declare is certainly true, most likely true, most likely false, or positively false. For many of the misinformation objects included within the survey, between one-fifth and one-third of the general public say they’re “positively” or “most likely true.” Whereas probably the most steadily heard claims are associated to COVID-19 and vaccines, probably the most steadily believed claims had been associated to weapons, together with that armed college police guards have been confirmed to forestall college shootings (60% say that is most likely or positively true), that the majority gun homicides within the U.S. are gang-related (43%), and that individuals who have firearms at dwelling are much less prone to be killed by a gun than those that don’t (42%).
Combining these measures, the share of the general public who each have heard every false declare and imagine it’s most likely or positively true ranges from 14% (for the declare that “extra individuals have died from the COVID-19 vaccine than from the virus”) to 35% (“armed college police guards have been confirmed to forestall college shootings”).
Measures of Well being Misinformation
This report examines three measures of well being misinformation among the many public. Adults had been requested whether or not they had heard or learn particular false health-related statements. No matter whether or not they have heard or learn particular objects of misinformation, all had been requested whether or not they thought every declare was positively true, most likely true, most likely false, or positively false. We then mixed these two measures with the intention to look at the share who’ve heard the false claims and imagine it’s positively or most likely true.
Uncertainty is excessive relating to well being misinformation. Whereas fewer than one in 5 adults say every of the misinformation claims examined within the survey are “positively true,” bigger shares are open to believing them, saying they’re “most likely true.” Many lean in direction of the right reply but additionally specific uncertainty, saying every declare is “most likely false.” Fewer are usually sure that every declare is fake, excluding the declare that extra individuals have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than from the virus itself, which almost half the general public (47%) acknowledges as positively false.
The vary of individuals’s responses when introduced with false claims – starting from positively true to positively false – suggests totally different potential approaches for steering interventions amongst totally different teams. Those that say false well being claims are “most likely false” might profit from having correct data bolstered to them by trusted messengers comparable to their physician or household and pals within the medical or well being fields. Nonetheless, those that say health-related misinformation objects are “most likely true” might require a distinct method. Whereas adults in every stage of perception and disbelief of well being misinformation current a novel alternative for various ways of interventions and outreach, the rest of this report focuses on the group who say the false claims examined had been “positively true” or “most likely true,” as this group represents adults who’ve purchased in or are on the biggest threat of shopping for into the well being misinformation objects requested about on this survey.
COVID-19 and Vaccine Misinformation
Throughout the 5 COVID-19 and vaccine associated misinformation objects, adults with no school diploma are extra possible than school graduates to say these claims are positively or most likely true. Notably, Black adults are at the least ten proportion factors extra possible than White adults to imagine some objects of vaccine misinformation, together with that the COVID-19 vaccines have brought on hundreds of sudden deaths in in any other case wholesome individuals, and that the MMR vaccines have been confirmed to trigger autism in youngsters. Black (29%) and Hispanic (24%) adults are each extra possible than White adults (17%) to say that the false declare that “extra individuals have died from the COVID-19 vaccine than have died from the COVID-19 virus” is certainly or most likely true. Those that establish as Republicans or lean in direction of the Republican Celebration and pure independents stand out as being extra possible than Democratic leaning adults to say every of these things might be or positively true. Throughout group sorts, rural residents are extra possible than their city and suburban counterparts to say that some false claims associated to COVID vaccines are most likely or positively true, together with that the vaccines have been confirmed to trigger infertility and that extra individuals have died from the vaccine than from the virus.
Instructional attainment seems to play a very necessary position relating to susceptibility to COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. Six in ten adults with school levels say not one of the 5 false COVID-19 and vaccine claims are most likely or positively true, in comparison with lower than 4 in ten adults with no diploma. Concerningly, about one in 5 rural residents (19%), adults with a highschool schooling or much less (18%), Black adults (18%), Republicans (20%), and independents (18%) say 4 or 5 of the false COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation objects included within the survey are most likely or positively true.
Reproductive Well being Misinformation
The KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot requested about two misinformation objects associated to reproductive well being and these two false claims seem to have totally different audiences. When requested about contraception resulting in points getting pregnant after cessation, youthful adults – notably youthful ladies – usually tend to have heard this and to say that is most likely or positively true. Nonetheless, when requested about intercourse schooling amongst teenagers resulting in extra sexual exercise, older adults usually tend to say it’s positively or most likely true. For each of those false reproductive well being claims, adults with no school schooling, Republicans, and pure independents are extra possible than their counterparts to say the claims are most likely or positively true. Black and Hispanic adults – teams who expertise disparities in each well being outcomes and in entry to care – are extra possible than White adults to say each of those false reproductive well being claims are positively or most likely true.
Gun-Associated Misinformation
With regards to misinformation on gun-related violence, academic attainment once more seems associated to susceptibility to misinformation as these with no school diploma are extra possible than school graduates to say the firearm misinformation objects are most likely or positively true. Notably, White (63%) and Hispanic (57%) adults are extra possible than Black adults (48%) to say the declare that armed college police have been confirmed to forestall college shootings is certainly or most likely true. Gun-related misinformation seems to be closely politically charged, with Republicans and independents extra possible than Democrats to say every of the claims concerning gun-related violence are most likely or positively true. Almost three in 4 rural residents (73%) say that the declare that armed college police have been confirmed to forestall college shootings is certainly or most likely true in comparison with fewer city (56%) and suburban (58%) residents.
Gun homeowners are not any extra prone to have heard every of these things in comparison with those that don’t personal a gun, but they’re extra prone to say every is certainly or most likely true.
Reasonably priced Care Act Misinformation
Some misinformation claims can have longevity and result in longstanding public confusion and uncertainty. The KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot additionally requested in regards to the false declare that the Reasonably priced Care Act (ACA) established a authorities panel to make selections on end-of-life look after individuals on Medicare. It is a long-standing fable in regards to the ACA and former KFF analysis has discovered that the majority adults couldn’t precisely establish that the regulation didn’t arrange such a panel. Within the newest survey, seven in ten adults say they aren’t positive whether or not the ACA established a authorities panel to make end-of-life selections for individuals on Medicare, and an extra 8% incorrectly reply that the regulation did set up these panels. Only one in 4 adults (23%) – together with three in ten Democrats – know that the ACA didn’t set up these so-called “demise panels.” Notably, adults ages 65 and older (most of whom have Medicare protection) are extra possible than adults underneath the age of 30 to appropriately reply that the ACA didn’t set up authorities panels for end-of-life selections for these on Medicare.
Views of Well being Misinformation and Duty for Combatting It
Massive majorities of U.S. adults say that the unfold of false and inaccurate data usually (86%) and the unfold of false and inaccurate data associated to well being points (74%) are main issues. This contains giant shares throughout age, gender, schooling, and partisanship.
Whereas a big majority of the general public believes that false and inaccurate well being data is a serious drawback, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the complicated nature of what the general public sees as well being misinformation in the US. The present polarized political and media local weather can result in very totally different views of what constitutes misinformation.
The KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot requested adults to supply an instance of COVID-19 misinformation that they’ve learn or heard, and lots of examples had been in direct contradiction with each other. For instance, many cited issues they’d heard about facemasks that they understand to be unfaithful. Nonetheless, whereas some cited claims of masks not serving to to curb the unfold of the virus as misinformation, others cited claims that masking did assist stop the unfold as a misinformation merchandise. Equally, adults present contradictory claims in regards to the COVID-19 vaccines’ security and efficacy as examples of misinformation they’ve learn or heard.
In Their Personal Phrases: Are you able to present an instance of misinformation associated to COVID-19 that you just learn or heard about within the media or elsewhere?
“That sporting a masks wouldn’t assist stop the unfold” – 35 year-old Hispanic girl in Mississippi
“That masks cease the unfold” – 52 year-old White girl in Ohio
“That masks don’t have to be worn” – 72 year-old White girl in Arizona
“The usage of masks reduces possibilities of getting COVID-19” – 26 year-old Hispanic man in Texas
“Taking the COVID shot will defend you that was all a LIE.” – 54 year-old Hispanic man in Florida
“The vaccines had been okay to make use of” – 27 year-old Black girl in Texas
“Vaccines not being efficient” – 62 year-old White girl in Massachusetts
“Vaccines don’t work or are harmful” – 75 year-old White girl in New Jersey
This lack of consensus on what constitutes well being misinformation provides to the problem of curbing the unfold of false and inaccurate well being and medical claims. Nonetheless, the general public sees a task for presidency, media, and social media corporations to deal with this subject. Not less than two-thirds of adults say that Congress, President Biden, the U.S. information media, and social media corporations are usually not doing sufficient to restrict the unfold of false and inaccurate well being data. Regardless of usually divided views on the position of presidency and media, majorities of adults throughout age, gender, schooling, and partisanship say every of those entities isn’t doing sufficient.
Trusted Sources of Info and Information
With giant shares of the general public unable to establish many health-related misinformation objects as positively false, trusted messengers and sources have an necessary position to play in efforts to fight the proliferation of well being misinformation. Not surprisingly, particular person docs are probably the most trusted supply, with 93% of the general public saying they’ve an incredible deal or a good quantity of belief in their very own physician to make the suitable suggestions on well being points.
With regards to authorities businesses, most adults have at the least a good quantity of belief within the FDA and CDC to make the suitable suggestions on well being points, although only one in 4 have an excessive amount of belief within the CDC and one in 5 have an excessive amount of belief within the FDA. Fewer say they belief the Biden Administration on well being points, and Republicans are much less possible than Democrats to belief the Administration, in addition to the CDC and the FDA.
Conventional Information Media Use and Belief
The proliferation of media sources has led to many adults having a assorted media eating regimen. Native TV information, nationwide community information, and digital and on-line information aggregators are the highest information sources for U.S. adults, with over half saying they repeatedly learn, watch, or pay attention to every.
There are variations in consumption of conventional information sources. Adults underneath age 30 are much less possible than older adults to say they repeatedly watch native information however are extra possible to make use of digital or on-line information aggregators that summarize varied conventional and nontraditional information sources, comparable to Apple or Yahoo Information. Greater than seven in ten Black (77%) and Hispanic (71%) adults say they repeatedly watch their native TV information station in comparison with 59% of White adults. Equally, White adults (52%) are much less prone to watch nationwide community information repeatedly in comparison with Black (74%) and Hispanic (65%) adults. A majority of Republicans (57%) say they repeatedly watch Fox Information to say up-to-date on present occasions, whereas a majority of Democrats (55%) say they watch CNN. But notably, greater than six in ten Democrats and Republicans say additionally they repeatedly watch their native TV information channel, underscoring the large attain of native information.
No matter whether or not they’re common viewers, the survey measured how a lot people would belief details about well being points that was reported by every of those sources. Not less than seven in ten U.S. adults say they’d have at the least “a little bit” belief in well being data reported by their native TV information station, nationwide community information, or their native newspaper. Nonetheless, fewer than three in ten adults say they’d have lots of belief in well being data reported by every of the media sources requested about within the survey.
The image of belief in well being data from varied information sources seems considerably totally different when wanting solely at those that are common customers of every supply. Not surprisingly, common customers are more likely than those that don’t use every information supply to say they’d have numerous belief in well being data reported by that supply. Nonetheless, there’s variation amongst information sources in how a lot their common customers belief the knowledge they report. For instance, majorities of normal customers of NPR (59%) and the New York Occasions (52%) say they’d belief well being data reported on these platforms “lots,” whereas a 3rd of normal MSNBC viewers (34%) and Fox Information viewers (36%) say they’d place numerous belief in well being data reported there. For many different sources, the share of normal customers who say they’d have numerous belief in well being data they report ranges from three to 4 in ten.
Social Media Use and Belief
Most adults (55%) say they use social media at the least as soon as per week to maintain up-to-date on information and present occasions, together with a 3rd (33%) who say they use it daily. About one in 4 (24%) say they use social media at the least weekly to seek out well being data and recommendation, although 4 in ten say they “by no means” do that. Bigger shares of Hispanic and Black adults in comparison with White adults, and youthful adults in comparison with older adults, say they repeatedly use social media for each information and well being data. Hispanic adults are notably prone to say they repeatedly use social media, with seven in ten (70%) saying they use it weekly for information and present occasions and half (49%) saying they use it weekly for well being data and recommendation. Whereas related shares throughout schooling and revenue teams say they use social media for information, bigger shares of these with out school levels and people residing in lower-income households report utilizing social media to seek out well being data and recommendation in comparison with these with school levels and better incomes.
Probably the most generally used social media platforms included within the survey are YouTube and Fb, with greater than six in ten saying they use every of those platforms at the least weekly. No matter whether or not they use the platforms, about half say they’d have at the least a little bit belief in details about well being points in the event that they noticed it on YouTube and 4 in ten say the identical about Fb. Nonetheless, fewer than one in ten say they’d have lots of belief in well being data seen on any of the platforms included within the survey.
Even among the many those that steadily use particular social media websites, only a few say they’d have numerous belief in well being data in the event that they noticed it on these platforms. One in six Reddit weekly customers say they’d have numerous belief in well being data in the event that they noticed it on that platform, with related shares of weekly TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter customers expressing numerous belief in well being data they might see on these platforms.
Info Sources and Publicity and Perception in Well being Misinformation
Just like earlier KFF surveys, this survey exhibits that consumption of various kinds of information media is correlated with perception in well being misinformation. For instance, relating to the falsehoods about COVID-19 and vaccines examined within the survey, slightly below half (45%) of all adults say they’ve each heard at the least certainly one of these falsehoods and imagine it to be most likely or positively true. This share rises to about three in 4 amongst common viewers of Newsmax, two-thirds amongst common viewers of OANN, and 6 in ten amongst common viewers of Fox Information. As compared, three in ten of those that repeatedly get information from NPR or the New York Occasions, and about 4 in ten who repeatedly get information from their native newspaper or nationwide community information mentioned the identical.
Social media use can also be correlated with being uncovered and inclined to imagine well being misinformation. For instance, a majority of those that use social media for well being data and recommendation at the least weekly say that they’ve heard at the least one of many false COVID-19 or vaccine claims examined within the survey and assume it’s positively or most likely true, in comparison with 4 in ten of those that don’t use social media for well being recommendation.
KFF additionally launched further evaluation from the Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot Pilot analyzing media use and belief and publicity and susceptibility to well being misinformation amongst Black adults, Hispanic adults, and rural residents.
Assist for this work was offered by the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis (RWJF). The views expressed don’t essentially mirror the views of RWJF. KFF maintains full editorial management over all of its coverage evaluation, polling, and journalism actions.