Misinformation and the 2010 Election: A Study of the US Electorate

Abstract

Examined Americans' perceptions of the reliability of information in the election environment, in light of the Supreme Court decision in "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission." During November 6-15, 2010, WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted web interviews with 848 randomly selected respondents, including 616 self-reported voters. An overwhelming majority of voters said that they encountered misleading or false information in the 2010 midterm election, with a majority saying that this occurred more frequently than usual. The poll found strong evidence that voters were substantially misinformed on many of the issues prominent in the campaign, including the stimulus legislation, the healthcare reform law, TARP, the state of the economy, climate change, campaign contributions by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and President Obama's birthplace.