Drawing on KFF’s Misinformation Pilot Ballot, KFF as we speak launched three follow-up reviews inspecting publicity to, and perception in, well being misinformation amongst Black adults, Hispanic adults, and rural communities.
As with most of the people, giant shares inside every group are unsure about whether or not every of 10 false well being claims are true or not, describing them as both “most likely true” or “most likely false.” This uncertainty leaves folks susceptible to misinformation but additionally offers a chance to fight it.
The shares who say every of the false claims is “undoubtedly true” ranges from 3% to 21%, relying on the declare and the subgroup, with a lot bigger shares falling within the unsure center. For instance, most Black adults (61%), Hispanic adults (65%), and rural adults (65%) say that the false declare that COVID-19 vaccines have precipitated hundreds of deaths in in any other case wholesome folks is “most likely true” or “most likely false.”
The reviews additionally look at every group’s sources for well being data, together with conventional broadcast, print and on-line information shops, and social media, in addition to who they’d belief for well being data.
Throughout all three teams, native tv information emerged as one of many conventional information sources folks had been most certainly to belief “quite a bit” for well being data. Social media is extensively used throughout all three teams, notably for youthful Black adults, and Spanish-speaking and youthful Hispanic adults, although social media sources had been far much less trusted for well being data.
The nationwide ballot, which was launched in August, and these follow-up reviews are a part of a brand new KFF program space geared toward figuring out and monitoring well being misinformation and belief, with an emphasis on communities extra continuously impacted by misinformation, reminiscent of folks of coloration, immigrants, and rural populations.
KFF will even quickly launch a daily “Well being Misinformation Monitor,” which can doc rising well being misinformation, determine its main sources, and look at the position that social media and information shops play in its unfold. Join future KFF alerts on this subject.
Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF, the KFF Well being Misinformation Monitoring Ballot Pilot was performed Could 23-June 12, 2023, on-line and by phone amongst a nationally consultant pattern of two,007 U.S. adults, together with 510 Black non-Hispanic adults, 514 Hispanic adults, and 218 adults who in reside rural areas. Interviews had been performed in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 proportion factors for the complete pattern, plus or minus 6 proportion factors for Black adults, plus or minus 6 proportion factors for Hispanic adults, and plus or minus 9 proportion factors for rural adults. For outcomes primarily based on different subgroups, the margin of sampling error could also be greater. Help for this work was supplied by the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis (RWJF). The views expressed don’t essentially replicate the views of RWJF. KFF maintains full editorial management over all of its coverage evaluation, polling, and journalism actions.