New Poll Finds Americans Consider Misinformation a Greater Threat Than Terrorism or Disease
(AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
A new poll found that more Americans view the spread of false information online as a “major threat” than those fearing terrorism, the health of the global economy, and even infectious diseases.
Pew Research Center released a survey on Wednesday focused on Americans’ evolving views of the media in today’s digital age. The poll was conducted earlier this year among more than 9,000 people, and it carries a 1.3% margin of error.
According to the survey, 7 in 10 Americans view the “spread of false information” online as a “major threat.” Another 24% view it as a minor threat, while 5% said they don’t see it as a threat. The number of concerned respondents was higher than for terrorism, the state of the global economy, and more.
The poll found approximately 60% of Americans view terrorism and “the condition of the global economy” as major threats, while about 50% viewed “global climate change” and the “spread of infectious diseases” as major threats. Expanding on those results, 35% called terrorism and the global economy minor threats, while 29% and 44% viewed climate change and infectious diseases as minor threats.
The results of course change when politics and age get factored in, but a majority of Republicans and Democrats still view false information spreading online as a major threat. More than 60% of Republicans and people who lean Republican called it a major threat, and 80% of Democrats and those who lean left agreed.
More Republicans viewed terrorism as a major threat, but the other categories ranked lower among Republicans than false information — the spread of misinformation remained the biggest concern for Democrats.
When age was accounted for, it became clear that younger Americans are less concerned than older Americans, but a majority in all age groups still named false information as a big threat. According to the results, 81% of people 65 years and older are concerned, and 71% aged 50-64 agree. Those numbers drop to 68% and 62% for the 30-49 age and 18-29 age groups, respectively.
