Most Americans Fear Misinformation Will Sway Election, Cite POTUS As Super Spreader
- by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, October 8, 2020
Four in five Americans are either very (48%) or somewhat (33%) concerned that misinformation on social media will sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, and the No. 1 source is the current President.
That's the finding of a national
survey conducted by Gallup and The Knight Foundation.
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The study, which was released today, finds the President ranks ahead of the other top five sources spreading misinformation, which also include social media, Republican leaders in Congress, cable TV news and foreign governments.
"Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) think [President] Trump is disseminating a great deal of misinformation, 11% a fair amount," the study notes, adding that less than a third (30%) feel his Democratic challenger Joe Biden spreads a great deal, and 19% a fair amount of misinformation.
The study notes there are partisan skews based on political affiliation, but that overall there was "near unanimity" that it is
wrong for misinformation to help a candidate get elected, even if it's the respondents preferred choice.
