XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.atheism, alt.politics   
   XPost: alt.politics.trump, alt.conspiracy, alt.save.the.earth   
   XPost: alt.global-warming, alt.beam-me-up.scotty.there-is-no.int   
   lligent-life.down-here, alt.censorship   
   XPost: alt.apocalypse, talk.politics.guns, misc.survivalism   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.trump   
   From: NOT-SURE@idiocracy.gov   
      
   On 8/7/21 4:30 AM, Lyin' Lester Holt wrote:   
   > Washington, DC, December 30, 2020 –  According to a recent   
   > NPR/Ipsos poll, a strong majority of Americans are concerned   
   > about the spread of false information and specifically that   
   > information they receive on social media is not accurate.   
   > However, there are also signs that recent misinformation,   
   > including false claims related to COVID-19 and QAnon, are   
   > gaining a foothold among some Americans.   
   >   
   > Detailed Findings   
   >   
   > The American public is deeply concerned about the spread of   
   > false information and are particularly concerned about COVID-19-   
   > related misinformation.   
   >   
   > More than eight in ten (83%) say they are concerned about the   
   > spread of false information, and a majority (54%) report being   
   > very concerned.   
   > Eighty percent are specifically concerned about the spread of   
   > false information about the coronavirus and vaccines.   
   > More than two-thirds are concerned both that the information   
   > they receive on social media is not accurate (69%), and also   
   > about foreign interference in social media (67%).   
   > Despite these concerns, there are signs that misinformation,   
   > most prominently around COVID-19, QAnon, and recent Black Lives   
   > Matter protests, is becoming more mainstream.   
   >   
   > In a “knowledge test,” where respondents were given 10 true or   
   > false statements about historical events, most Americans   
   > correctly answered questions about past events (e.g., the moon   
   > landing, Barack Obama’s birthplace, and 9/11), yet show more   
   > ambiguity on recent events.   
   > Specifically, a plurality of Americans (40%) believe it is true   
   > that COVID-19 was created in a lab in China – more answered true   
   > than false. There is no indication this is true.   
   > Moreover, fewer than half (47%) are able to correctly identify   
   > that this statement is false: “A group of Satan-worshipping   
   > elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our   
   > politics and media.” Thirty-seven percent are unsure whether   
   > this theory backed by QAnon is true or false, and 17% believe it   
   > to be true.   
   > Nearly half (47%) believe the majority of protests this summer   
   > were violent, while just 38% correctly indicated that this is a   
   > false statement.   
   > Both partisanship and education play a role in belief of these   
   > events. Both Democrats and college-educated Americans answered   
   > more statements correctly than Republicans, Independents, or   
   > those without a college degree.   
   > knowledge test   
   >   
   > More than one in three Americans believe in the existence of a   
   > so-called “deep state;” however, most accept the results of the   
   > election and want to see a peaceful transition.   
   >   
   > Thirty-nine percent of Americans agree there is a deep state   
   > working to undermine President Trump – another tenet of QAnon.   
   > This belief is driven primarily by Republicans and FOX News   
   > viewers (a majority of both groups agree with this), though   
   > nearly half of white men and rural residents (49% each) agree as   
   > well.   
   > However, many more accept the results of the 2020 presidential   
   > election (69%) and want to see a peaceful transition to the   
   > Biden administration in January (70%).   
   > A similar number to those who would like to see a peaceful   
   > transition are also worried about political violence over the   
   > next four years (73%).   
   > Despite the ambiguity around the origins of COVID-19, there are   
   > indications that most Americans are taking the virus seriously.   
   > For example, a majority agree there should be a law in their   
   > state requiring masks in public at all times.   
   >   
   > Three-quarters (74%) of Americans agree that masks are an   
   > effective tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Though   
   > majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree with this   
   > statement, Democrats are significantly more likely to do so (90%   
   > agree vs. 61% of Republicans).   
   > Nearly two-thirds (64%) feel there should be a law in their   
   > state requiring mask use in public, at all times. The partisan   
   > gap is even wider on a mask mandate, though: 85% of Democrats   
   > are in favor, compared to 45% of Republicans.   
   > A majority (59%) disagree that COVID-19 is no more of a serious   
   > threat than the flu. Almost all demographic groups (gender, age,   
   > educational attainment, religion, etc.) disagree with this   
   > statement. Only Republicans and FOX News viewers are evenly   
   > split on whether or not COVID-19 is more serious than the flu.   
   > Most Americans are unwilling to point fingers at a specific   
   > group of people for being more susceptible to believing   
   > conspiracy theories. Majorities say “all equally” when asked   
   > about different ages, racial/ethnic groups, partisans, or people   
   > of different education levels.   
   >   
   > However, there are a few exceptions. Compared with the general   
   > public, younger people (18-34) say in larger numbers that older   
   > people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories, while   
   > more older people (age 55+) say the same about younger people.   
   > A plurality of Democrats (44%) say Republicans are more likely   
   > to believe conspiracy theories; in comparison, most Republicans   
   > (55%) say “all equally.”   
   > People with college degrees are more likely to say that those   
   > who did not go to college are more susceptible to believing   
   > conspiracy theories (41% say this, compared to 19% of those   
   > without degrees and 26% overall).   
   > Read the story from NPR here.   
   >   
   > About the Study   
   > These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted   
   > between December 21-22, 2020, on behalf of NPR. For this survey,   
   > a sample of 1,115 adults age 18+ from the continental U.S.,   
   > Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English with   
   > oversamples of Black and Hispanic Americans. One question in   
   > this poll is trended against NPR/Ipsos polls conducted between   
   > August 20-21, 2020, July 30-31, 2020, and June 19-20, 2018, with   
   > a sample of 1,186, 1,115 and 1,071 U.S. adults, respectively.   
   >   
   > The sample for this study was randomly drawn from Ipsos’ online   
   > panel (see link below for more info on “Access Panels and   
   > Recruitment”), partner online panel sources, and “river”   
   > sampling (see link below for more info on the Ipsos “Ampario   
   > Overview” sample method) and does not rely on a population frame   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)