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(NewsNation) — A new poll shows that at least 4 in 10 Americans are familiar with false claims related to COVID-19, reproductive health and gun violence.
While the number of Americans who believed the false info to be true varied, roughly three-quarters of Americans couldn’t say for sure if they were true or false, according to the new data from Kaiser Family Foundation.
More people ranked claims as “probably true” or “probably false” than those who gave definitive answers, an indication that health misinformation can create doubt about important health issues even if people don’t fully believe it.
The survey asked Americans about ten specific false claims related to COVID-19, reproductive health and gun violence.
A third of Americans said it was true or probably true that COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of deaths. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes there have been no unusual or unexpected patterns of death following the launch of the vaccines, aside from six deaths that resulted from a rare reaction to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
A third of Americans also believed it was harder for women to become pregnant after stopping birth control, such as an IUD or the pill. Research shows that those who take birth control and then stop have no negative impacts on fertility.
Even more Americans, 42%, believed the false statement that having a gun in the home makes you less likely to be killed to be true or probably true. In fact, data shows the exact opposite, with those who have a gun in the home twice as likely to die of homicide than those who don’t.
The poll also asked what sources people trusted for health information. Doctors ranked at the top of the list, followed by federal agencies and traditional news media. However, 42% of Americans also said they got health information from social media, a place where false health claims can run wild.