Americans Consider 'Fake News' A Big Problem

A large majority of adults in the U.S. say fake news is a major problem, and many of them see it as a bigger problem than racism, terrorism or climate change, reports The Hill citing a new survey.

In a survey of more than 6,000 Americans, 68 percent said made-up news and information majorly affects their confidence in government institutions, according to a Pew Research Center study released Wednesday.

Fifty-four percent said they think that fake news has a big impact on Americans’ confidence in each other, while 51 percent cited an effect on political leaders’ ability to get things done.

More than half of those surveyed — 57 percent — blame political leaders and staff for spreading false information, while 53 percent said activists were responsible for the problem. Journalists were blamed by 36 percent of respondents.

Despite more people blaming non-media officials for spreading fake news, a majority of those surveyed, 53 percent, said the news media carries the most responsibility in reducing fake news. Only 12 percent said the onus falls on the government to stop the spread of misinformation.

Compared to Democrats, Republicans were more likely to say made-up news is a very big problem in the U.S. and that they’re exposed to made-up news.

They’re also three times as likely as Democrats — 58 percent compared to 20 percent — to say journalists create a lot of fake news, according to the survey.

Other key findings

• Americans feel that political divides in the country are the greatest obstacle to addressing the problem of made-up news and information. Almost two-thirds (64%) see those divides as a very big challenge. Between 41% and 44% cite the ability to make money from made-up news, digital technology, the public’s lack of effort and low awareness about current events as very big hurdles to a solution.
• Americans see a lot of made-up news and information being generated around two major topics: politics and elections (73%) and entertainment and celebrities (61%). Both politics and entertainment far exceed all of the other four topics asked about.
• In a related finding, Americans say that far more made-up news gets created around national issues and events than around local ones. About six-in-ten (58%) say a lot of made-up news is created around national issues, compared with 18% who say the same about local issues.
• When it comes to identifying very big problems connected to keeping the public informed about current issues and events, about half of Americans (49%) put the amount of made-up news and information in that category. A similar percentage (51%) cites the public’s ability to distinguish between facts and opinions as a very big problem, compared with 37% who see journalists inserting their own views into coverage as a very big problem in how the public stays informed.

The survey was conducted Feb. 19-March 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.