A majority of Americans believe fake news is undermining the public’s confidence in the government and the confidence of citizens in each other.
Sixty-eight percent of Americans said misinformation was affecting their confidence in the U.S. government, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday. Fifty-four percent said made-up news was affecting their view of other Americans.
Pew surveyed 6,127 U.S. adults from Feb. 19 to March 4.
Of the biggest problems in the United States today, more Americans (50%) said fake news was a major problem versus 40% for racism and just 26% for sexism, while drug addiction at 70% and healthcare affordability at 67% topped the list.
A majority of Americans (57%) believe that political figures and their staff are the largest contributors to fake news. The next biggest contributor is activist groups at 53%. Just over a third of Americans (36%) blame journalists for creating and spreading fake news.
Fifty-three percent of Americans believe the news media bears the brunt of responsibility for reducing or correcting fake news, a much higher percentage than those who put that responsibility on the government (12%) or the tech companies (9%).
The results come after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Facebook’s executives “willing enablers” of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Pelosi’s accusation appears to be out of step with the feelings of most Americans on the issue of false information and who bears responsibility for correcting it.
