Misinformation

Here are five facts about how much Americans have heard about the QAnon conspiracy theories and their views about them.

59% of Americans say made-up information that is intended to mislead causes a “great deal” of confusion about the 2020 presidential election.

Biden supporters are more likely than Trump supporters to be confident their news sources will make the right call in announcing a winner. And partisans remain worlds apart on how well the U.S. has controlled the coronavirus outbreak.

Just one-in-ten Americans say social media sites have a mostly positive effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today.

Videos from independent news producers are more likely to cover subjects negatively and discuss conspiracy theories.

Republicans are about four times as likely as Democrats to say voter fraud has been a major issue with mail-in ballots.

73% of Americans express little or no confidence in tech companies to prevent the misuse of their platforms to influence the 2020 election.

Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say major tech companies favor the views of liberals over conservatives. At the same time, partisans differ on whether social media companies should flag inaccurate information on their platforms.

U.S. adults in this group are less likely to get the facts right about COVID-19 and politics and more likely to hear some unproven claims.

Most Americans (71%) have heard of a conspiracy theory that alleges that powerful people intentionally planned the coronavirus outbreak.