A new poll from KFF looks at Americans’ media use, their most trusted sources, and the communities most affected by misinformation.
Widespread misinformation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the extent to which misinformation can distort public health policy debates and influence the choices people make about their health, according to a new survey conducted by KFF. The survey is part of a new KFF program focused on misinformation and trust in the U.S.
For the KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll Pilot, researchers surveyed 2,007 U.S. adults online and by telephone between May 23-June 12 on their trusted sources for health information for a variety of topics, such as COVID-19 and vaccines, reproductive health, and gun violence. To measure the reach of certain false and inaccurate claims, researchers asked participants about their beliefs on 10 specific false claims. The survey also looked at the role social media plays in the spread of misinformation.
“Most people aren’t true believers in the lies or the facts about health issues; they are in a muddled middle,” KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said in a statement. “The public’s uncertainty leaves them vulnerable to misinformation but is also the opportunity to combat it.”
The poll underscored the extensiveness of misinformation. Nearly all adults surveyed (96 percent) said they had heard at least one of the 10 health-related false claims included in the poll, with misinformation most frequently related to COVID-19 and vaccines. Further, of the total participants, 74 percent said the spread of false health-related information is a major problem.
Additional findings include:
- One-third (34 percent) of adults said the false claim that COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of sudden deaths in otherwise healthy people is definitely (10 percent) or probably (23 percent) true, with Black adults more likely to believe the claim compared to white adults.
- About a third of adults said the false claim that using birth control, such as the pill or an IUD, makes it harder for women to get pregnant once they no longer use them is “definitely” (five percent) or “probably” true (29 percent).
- Forty-two percent of adults said the false claim that people who have firearms at home are less likely to be killed with a gun was “definitely” (13 percent) or “probably” (29 percent) true.
- Most adults said Congress (78 percent), the news media (70 percent), social media (69 percent), and President Biden (68 percent) were not doing enough to address the spread of health misinformation.
- The most trusted source for accurate health information was physicians, followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
- More than half (55 percent) of participants said they use social media at least once a week to stay up to date on current events, and 33 percent of those individuals said they used it every day.
- Hispanic adults and Black adults reported regular social media use for both news and health information compared to white adults.
KFF said it will be releasing additional companion survey reports to further indicate the impact of health misinformation in vulnerable communities, such as Black and Hispanic individuals and rural populations.