A total of 20% of Americans believe at least one coronavirus-related conspiracy theory, a nationwide study in the US has discovered.
The study, which is preprint and has yet to be peer-reviewed, was conducted by Harvard University, Rutgers University, Northwestern University and Northeastern University. A total of 20,669 people were surveyed throughout June and early July throughout all 50 US states.
It asked respondents if they believe any of the following coronavirus falsities:
- Coronavirus vaccines are capable of altering a person's DNA- The vaccines contain microchips that allow people to be tracked- The vaccines contain lung tissue from aborted fetuses- The vaccines are capable of causing infertility
All four of these claims have been proven as false.
The survey found that over half of all Americans are unsure about whether or not at least one COVID conspiracy is true or false, and 20% of Americans believe at least one of the false statements.
The study referenced the statements of concern made by US President Joe Biden about the dangers of coronavirus misinformation on social media.
"They're killing people.... Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they're killing people," Biden told reporters at the White House in July.
The most commonly believed myth about the vaccine is that it causes infertility, with 11% of respondents believing the statement to be true, followed by 10% who believe the vaccine can alter a person's DNA, 9% who believe the vaccines are made with aborted fetal cells, and 8% who believe that getting vaccinated means you get microchipped.
Of those who did not mark themselves as believing any coronavirus misinformation which is broadly distributed online, 70% reported being vaccinated. On the other hand, only 46% of those that believed multiple false narratives about coronavirus were true were vaccinated.
Furthermore, a whopping 85% of those who identified all misinformation as false within the survey were vaccinated for COVID-19. In contrast, only 56% of those who did not mark any misinformation as true but were unsure of at least one were vaccinated. A meager 44% of those who believed at least one coronavirus conspiracy theory were vaccinated.
"People aged 25 to 44, those with high socioeconomic status, and Republicans are most likely to hold vaccine misperceptions, with over 25% in each group marking at least one misinformation statement as true," the survey stated. "Women, African-Americans, young people, and those with lower socioeconomic status are most likely to report uncertainty as to whether misinformation statements are true or not."
The data from the study can be found here.