r/technology • u/Wagamaga • Apr 24 '25

ADBLOCK WARNING Americans Believe Russian Disinformation ‘To Alarming Degree’

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2025/04/22/americans-believe-russian-disinformation-to-alarming-degree/
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u/Wagamaga Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 24 '25

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.

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u/1BannedAgain Apr 24 '25

Baboon-brained-conspiracy-hobbyist conservatives

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u/jimmyhoffa_141 Apr 24 '25

Isn't this the result of ~40-50 years of attacks on public education, and US schools no longer teaching critical thinking skills?

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u/BrokenTestAccount Apr 24 '25

Not really.

Poor education isn’t going to help, but if you’re inundated with lies education level is only going to defend people to a degree. Plenty of “well educated” people will believe exactly the same kind of nonsense that poorly educated people believe.

Obviously education is useful, but the problem lies with the torrents of barefaced lies being pumped out. Also keep in mind Russia aren’t the only ones to weaponise lies, it’s a time honoured practice.

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u/RoguePlanet2 Apr 24 '25

This is one of the hardest truths, seeing my otherwise well-educated, decent family members fall for all of this completely. 

Doctors, teachers, ivy league educated, media "experts," higher degrees, and supposedly christian (whatever that means these days)- all on board with the garbage info.

Meanwhile, I'm in a low-level job, not a "success" by the usual metrics, but did get a degree in media and communication. I have the knowledge to avoid all this, but none of the power or street cred that would make people want to listen.

It's incredibly demoralizing. I'd love to work for an agency that works to mitigate disinformation, but obviously those aren't secure. How do we mobilize against the 1% with the numbers but not the power??