Americans struggle to identify true facts

In a sharply divided country, here’s something many Americans agree on: It’s hard to know what’s a true and honest fact.

A new poll from The Associated PressNORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts finds that regardless of political belief, many Americans say they have a hard time figuring out if information is true. Nearly twothirds of Americans say they often come across onesided information and about 6 in 10 say they regularly see conflicting reports about the same set of facts from different sources.

“It is difficult to get facts. You have to read between the lines. You have to have a lot of common sense,” said Leah Williams, 29, of Modesto, California. A Republican, Williams says she relies on likeminded friends and family to help sort through conflicting information. “There are wolves in sheep’s clothing everywhere.”

The poll found that 47 percent of Americans believe it’s difficult to know if the information they encounter is true, compared with 31 percent who find it easy to do so. When deciding whether something is factual, there is widespread consensus on the importance of transparency in how the information was gathered and if it is based on data. While Democrats and Republicans alike frequently find the process challenging, USAFacts founder Steve Ballmer said he’s still optimistic about the poll’s findings.

“Americans want to know the facts,” said Ballmer, the former chief executive at Microsoft. “Facts (are) a driver of decision making, of common discussion and common dialog.”