Many Americans often encounter news they think is inaccurate, and those who do are more likely to find it difficult to determine what’s true and what’s not.
| Independent variable | Extremely often/Often | Sometimes | Rarely/Never | Difficult | Easy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| They __ come across news that they think is inaccurate | 42 | 48 | 10 | ||
| They generally find it ___ to determine what is true and what is not when they get news | 51 | 49 |
Nine-in-ten U.S. adults say they at least sometimes come across news they think is inaccurate, including 42% who say this happens extremely often or often. Just 10% of Americans say they rarely or never come across inaccurate news, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
Meanwhile, Americans are split over how easy it is to distinguish truth from fiction when getting news. About half (51%) say they generally find it difficult to determine what’s true and what’s not when they get news, while a similar share (49%) find it easy.
There is a strong connection between how often Americans say they come across inaccurate news and how difficult they think it is to determine what is true. Those who report often encountering inaccurate news are more likely than those who rarely or never do to say it’s hard to know what is true (59% vs. 31%).
The spread of false information online has become a top concern for Americans, as well as people in many other countries. A large majority of U.S. adults now get news digitally, but nondigital news consumers are less likely to say they frequently encounter inaccurate news. Among adults who don’t use the internet or never get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, 26% say they come across news that they think is inaccurate extremely often or often. This compares with 43% among those who do get news from digital devices.
Republicans more likely than Democrats to encounter news they think is inaccurate
| Party | Variable | Extremely often/Often | Sometimes | Rarely/Never | Difficult | Easy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rep/Lean Rep | They ___ come across news that they think is inaccurate | 48 | 45 | 7 | ||
| Dem/Lean Dem | They ___ come across news that they think is inaccurate | 38 | 50 | 12 | ||
| Rep/Lean Rep | They generally find it ___ to determine what is true and what is not when getting news | 56 | 43 | |||
| Dem/Lean Dem | They generally find it ___ to determine what is true and what is not when getting news | 45 | 55 |
While large majorities in both major parties say they come across news they think is inaccurate at least sometimes, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are somewhat more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to say this happens to them extremely often or often (48% vs. 38%).
When looking at partisanship and ideology together, conservative Republicans are the group most likely to say they come across inaccurate news: 53% say this happens extremely often or often. By comparison, around four-in-ten moderate or liberal Republicans and Democrats across the ideological spectrum say they come across inaccurate news extremely often or often.
When it comes to distinguishing fact from fiction in the news, more Republicans than Democrats say they find it difficult to determine what’s true and what’s not (56% vs. 45%).
Most liberal Democrats (63%) say it’s easy to tell what is and isn’t true, compared with 49% of conservative or moderate Democrats and smaller shares of conservative (44%) and moderate or liberal Republicans (41%).
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the methodology.
