Poll: How common is belief in COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation?
A poll found most Americans believe or are unsure about the accuracy of at least one false claim regarding COVID-19 or the vaccines.
The Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Nov. 8 found nearly 80% of respondents either believe or said they are unsure if they believe at least one of the eight myths tested. It found the likelihood that someone believes misinformation hinges largely on their vaccination status, political party identification and trusted news sources.
The poll, conducted Oct. 14-24, included 1,519 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. It comes as misinformation and disinformation surrounding the coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccines have posed a major problem in combating the pandemic.
“The findings highlight a major challenge for efforts to accurately communicate the rapidly evolving science about the pandemic when false and ambiguous information can spread quickly, whether inadvertently or deliberately, through social media, polarized news sources and other outlets,” KFF said in a news release about the poll.
In July, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called health misinformation an “urgent threat.”
“Health misinformation, including disinformation, have threatened the U.S. response to COVID-19 and continue to prevent Americans from getting vaccinated, prolonging the pandemic and putting lives at risk,”
Murthy said.
Most commonly believed false claims
The poll found that the most commonly-believed piece of misinformation was that “the government is exaggerating the number of COVID-19 deaths,” with 38% who said they believe it to be true. Health officials have long dispelled the false claim that the deaths are over-counted.
The second-most commonly believed false claim was that the government is intentionally hiding “deaths due to the COVID-19 vaccine.” The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and serious health problems after vaccination are extremely rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, data has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19 and deaths, even with the highly contagious delta variant.
Another 17% of respondents said they believe the false claim that “pregnant women should not get the COVID-19 vaccine.” Officials have said the COVID-19 vaccines are “unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant,” Mcclatchy News previously reported.
A study published in March found that pregnant people, who face increased risks for severe COVID-19, gain similar levels of antibodies following vaccination and that they pass that immunity on to their babies.