Americans Believe Russian Disinformation 'To Alarming Degree'

[Mr. Sparkle]

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Source: Forbes

A third of Americans have fallen for Russian disinformation — and for other false online claims. A national YouGov survey commissioned by news rating firm NewsGuard presented 1,000 respondents with 10 false claims that have spread widely online, including three that originated from or were mainly spread by Russian media outlets.

And, the researchers found, Americans believe Kremlin disinformation to an alarming degree — along with other false claims relating to health and medicine, elections and international conflicts. Indeed, of the 10 claims presented, 78% of respondents believed at least one, and fewer than 1 in 100 managed to correctly identify all 10 claims as false. A quarter believed, for example, that up to half the U.S. aid money given to Ukraine was stolen by Ukrainian officials for personal use. More than half incorrectly thought that Ukraine sold Hamas weapons that had been donated by the U.S.

Meanwhile, fewer than half of respondents correctly identified as false the claim that COVID-19 vaccines have killed between 7.3 and 15 million people worldwide, while 1 in 5 said they believed the claim to be true. The claims were made on the basis of numbers described as arbitrary by experts, and not based on any research.

"The false narrative is based on an inaccurate analysis of deaths reported after Covid vaccination to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, a U.S. government database that collects unverified reports of adverse reports following vaccination," said NewsGuard. "The analysis was conducted by Edward Dowd, a former portfolio manager for investment management company BlackRock, who has no medical background and has previously made false claims about Covid-19 vaccines."

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2025/04/22/americans-believe-russian-disinformation-to-alarming-degree/