Amy Mitchell (Pew Research Center), Philip Howard (University of Oxford), Jane Lytvynenko (Buzzfeed News) and Lori Robertson (Factcheck.org) discuss misinformation during the coronavirus outbreak, and ahead of the 2020 presidential election, as part of SXSW 2020's virtual sessions.
61% give equal attention to national and local coronavirus news.
A new analysis of open-ended responses to a survey of U.S. adults looks at the specific storylines or claims about COVID-19 that Americans said they were exposed to.
Responses to cable news coverage and the pandemic vary notably among Americans who identify Fox News, MSNBC or CNN as their main source of political news.
Despite the spread of the conspiracy theories, about three-quarters of U.S. adults say they have heard or read nothing at all about them.
More than half of these social media news consumers say they have encountered made-up news about COVID-19.
About half say they have seen at least some made-up news about the virus; 29% think it was created in a lab.
Concern is highest among people who follow political news most closely, older adults and those who display more knowledge about politics in general.
There's broad concern among Democrats and Republicans about the influence that made-up news could have during the 2020 presidential election.
Both Democrats and Republicans express far more distrust than trust of social media sites as sources for political and election news.
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
