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ESG Brief: Voters Agree: Political Disinformation Is Real, Omnipresent, and Troubling
ESG Brief
Jan 23, 2020
The current US political landscape is fraught with extreme partisanship and polarizing positions on just about every issue. These dogmatic views are often influenced by political disinformation—false information spread deliberately to deceive a person or group. Yes, it seems like everyone has come across political disinformation or “fake news,” but just how widespread is this issue and is it really influencing political discourse or elections? To answer these questions, ESG recently conducted a survey of 1,000 registered US voters. The results indicate that political disinformation is a major problem that frustrates voters and leaves them questioning the validity of election results: nearly three-quarters (74%) of registered voters surveyed believe that political disinformation could impact the results of a US presidential election. Clearly, more action is needed from public and private organizations to address this endemic threat to democratic processes and norms.