A survey in 2023 found that the proportion of adults in the United States who believed in COVID-19 misinformation varied by their education levels. Those with a college degree were less likely than those without to believe in false claims about COVID-19.
While a total of one in five adults believed the false claim "More people have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than have died from the COVID-19 virus" was probably or definitely true, less than one in ten believed so among those with a college degree. In comparison, nearly one in three adults who never attended college believed the claim to be true.
This statistic depicts the share of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education.
Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education
Characteristic
High school or less
Some college
College degree
Total
The COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of sudden deaths in otherwise healthy people.
43%
35%
23%
34%
Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19.
32%
40%
24%
31%
The COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to cause infertility.
36%
26%
20%
27%
More people have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than have died from the COVID-19 virus.
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Kaiser Family Foundation. (August 22, 2023). Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/
Kaiser Family Foundation. "Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education." Chart. August 22, 2023. Statista. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023). Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/
Kaiser Family Foundation. "Percentage of Adults Who Thought Select False Claims about Covid-19 Were Definitely or Probably True in The United States as of 2023, by Education." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Aug 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/
Kaiser Family Foundation, Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/ (last visited November 22, 2024)
Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by education [Graph], Kaiser Family Foundation, August 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1416826/adults-certainty-of-covid-19-misinformation-by-education/
