Biggest Midterms Concern
A new poll from the Knight Foundation and Ipsos has found that six in ten Americans have worries regarding the effect of disinformation on people’s voting decisions for the upcoming midterm elections. The Knight Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on journalism and the arts.
In the same poll, around one-quarter of respondents noted that they were worried they might follow false or misleading information. However, when asked about whether they worry others might be misled, the percentage of concerned people went to 58 percent.
More than 60 percent of respondents also said that they were worried about the effect being misled will have on the election choices people make in the midterm election. Most of the Democrats, Republicans, and independents surveyed have said that they don’t think they would fall victim to disinformation. The percentage of Democrats worried about disinformation is also higher than the percentage of Republicans or independents. More than 70 percent of Democrats have expressed that they are either very or somewhat concerned about the effects of disinformation in the election voting patterns. That percentage drops to 49 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents.
The poll also showed that more than 75 percent of Americans thought that the problem of false information was incredibly prevalent on social media. Of those who voted in 2020, around 80 percent also said that it was a problem on social media. Meanwhile, of those who had not voted in 2020, around 64 percent held the same view.
Similarly, 80 percent of respondents said that social media companies had an obligation to limit disinformation, especially those regarding how mail-in ballots should be filled. Similarly, 69 percent said that claims of election fraud that lack evidence should also be limited.
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