Large Majority of Americans Say They Spot Misinformation Weekly
Surprising new data from the Poynter Institute’s media initiative MediaWise has shown that up to 62 percent of Americans believe they see misinformation on the internet weekly, with a majority of younger respondents (divided by generations) expressing confidence in their ability to spot that misinformation or to verify a post. Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation, the oldest generation still alive, were less confident—and more than half of respondents under 26 were very concerned that their parents or family members were also being exposed to misinformation. Over 8,500 people from around the world were sampled in the aforementioned study.
These numbers make sense with the digital literacy of each generation, with Gen Z being ranked highest as “digital natives,” and Millennials and Gen X trailing slightly behind. Gen Z were also more likely to know to check the comments section or use a search engine to fact check on social media than any other generation. Gen Z also talked about using multiple tabs to research several threads on the same topic at once, as well as more advanced functions such as reverse image searches.
These differences have consequences. A 2021 study found that 78 percent of American adults believed or were “unsure about” at least one false statement pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. 67 percent of adults in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the United States holds the distinction of having the most deaths from the virus in the world, with a staggering 1,071,792 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
MediaWise has launched a number of programs to help with digital literacy. Furthermore, the initiative will be partnering with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs to help develop courses for teachers. But will this be enough to counter America’s disinformation crisis? Already, 64 percent of respondents to a Quinnipiac study believe that American democracy is “in crisis or is failing,” and a significant amount of that feeling relates to misinformation, especially surrounding the 2020 election cycle. 41 million Americans are reportedly Q-Anon believers, who actively insert misinformation into the atmosphere about the 2020 election cycle.
What else can America do? Illinois requires schools teach pupils a media literacy course, but is still only one of three states to do so: Colorado and California followed suit shortly thereafter. But this is not enough, and with two more election cycles on the horizon, the United States faces a critical point in its history. Several proposals for how to fix this problem are circulating, but ultimately, it feels as though journalists have been left on their own to deal with the misinformation crisis. Only about 30 percent of journalists believe they receive any kind of institutional support to deal with misinformation.
“Young people need to be instructed in the values of democracy – equality, freedom and mutual respect,” said former United States Secretary Of Education Margaret Spellings, “but they also need to be instructed in the methods of democracy – critical thinking and respect for truth. This is the way to reestablish our common bonds in a shared reality.”
