The measure is the first of its kind aiming to quantify over time the effectiveness of this continuing assault on reality. Beginning this month, it will track the percentage of Americans who believe that one of three top false claims is true. These reports will provide insights into how hoaxes — including from AI-generated fake audio, images, and videos — and malign information operations from Russia, China, and Iran succeed in misleading the American public. This analysis will also report on the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of countermeasures like fact checks or guardrails from generative AI, social media or other platforms to disclose to Americans when they are presented with false claims.
To conduct the survey, NewsGuard and YouGov presented a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Americans with three false claims that had gained wide traction online. Participants were asked whether they believed each claim to be true, false, or if they were unsure.
These false claims were drawn from NewsGuard’s False Claim Fingerprints, a continuously updated feed of provably false narratives gaining traction online. The selection focused on high-impact hoaxes — those with broad reach and significant potential for harm.
Methodology
NewsGuard commissioned a June 2025 study with YouGov that polled a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Americans aged 18+. The survey was carried out online and prompted respondents with three statements conveying false claims spreading online. Respondents were asked to reply to each claim with a response of “True,” “False,” or “Not Sure.”
After completing the survey, respondents were presented with accurate information debunking each claim to ensure that the survey did not inadvertently advance false claims.
