Poll of Californians Finds Need for Action Against the Spread of Election Disinformation and Hate as the 2024 Vote Approaches

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Free Press released research on Californians’ attitudes about media and technology this election year. These findings — drawn from the results of a nationwide Free Press poll — indicate that as the 2024 election approaches, Californians are concerned about the spread of online misinformation and feel they do not have enough sources of independent news to make informed voting decisions.

The Free Press poll found that:

Majorities of Californians use social-media and news applications: While broadcast TV and radio remain the top news sources for people in the state, most people also use social networks and news apps to help stay informed. 

• 77 percent of the Californians polled turn on TV and radio several times each week for news and information.
• 58 percent of Californians use news applications on their smartphones at least a few times each week for updates on news and events.
• 59 percent of Californians report using YouTube for news at least a few times a week, followed by Facebook (58 percent), Instagram (45 percent), TikTok (38 percent), Twitter (36 percent) and Reddit (23 percent).

Californians are concerned about online misinformation:

• 81 percent said they are concerned the information they are seeing is false, fake or a deliberate attempt to confuse.
• 75 percent said they are concerned about encountering 2024 presidential-election misinformation.
• 45 percent report they’ve received or encountered news stories that they believe contain misinformation or are false. 

A large majority of Californians want social-media companies to curb misinformation:

• 66 percent said they believe that social-media companies should limit false or fake information about elections that could be considered anti-democratic.
• 65 percent said it is not acceptable for tech companies to profit from running political ads that contain purposely false information.
• 62 percent said it is acceptable for tech companies to block the distribution of political ads that violate the platforms’ terms of use against false information or hate speech.

Californians are also concerned about election coverage in their communities: 

• Only 25 percent of Californians said they feel “very well informed” when voting in local elections.
• Latino and Asian American Californians were less likely to report feeling “very well” or “somewhat informed” when voting in local elections compared to non-Hispanic white Californians.
• The more local the election, the fewer Californians say they have enough information to participate. 
• Non-white and low-income Californians were more likely to report not having enough information to make informed voting decisions in several types of elections, ranging from local ballot measures to elections for members of the U.S. Congress.

Free Press Co-CEO Jessica J. González said:

“Our poll findings indicate that many people across California lack access to the news and information they need to fully participate in local, state and national elections. Majorities shared their concerns about the twin problems of dwindling local news and the prevalence of false information online, adding that social-media companies should do more to limit the spread of false, hateful and anti-democratic election information.

“As some candidates are ramping up hateful and dishonest rhetoric against immigrants and people of color, news outlets and social-media companies must act to restore integrity to the information shared on their platforms. This includes doing everything within their power to ensure that voting-age Californians have the reliable information they need to participate fully in our democracy. 

“Free Press has demanded that social-media companies enforce their rules equitably and across languages and regions to prevent the continued spread of election-related lies and hate that stoke violence and division. We’re also advocating for greater public investment in independent local news, with a focus on noncommercial and ethnic media outlets.

“The Free Press survey shows that Californians are mired in the Wild West of political lies, with three out of four expressing concern about encountering 2024 presidential-election misinformation. There’s a definite role for media and pro-democracy advocates to ensure that news and information better serve the needs of a diverse, multiracial population — in California and across the country.”

Notes on Methodology: Prior to designing the polling instrument, the African American Research Collaborative and BSP Research held four focus groups to observe how Americans think about and discuss their use of media and tech. There was one focus group each of Black women, young Midwesterners, parents of color of young teens, and Spanish-speaking Latinos from California. This qualitative research helped inform questions asked in the resulting survey.

In conducting the poll, Free Press sought to understand Americans’ attitudes about media, technology and democracy — at a time of rising distrust in mainstream outlets, declining local-news coverage and the rise of social media as a source of news and information. Free Press worked with the African American Research Collaborative and BSP Research to ask 3,000 people across the United States dozens of questions. The U.S. adults surveyed included 586 Californians. Questions delved into a number of media and tech issues to gain a thorough understanding of where people stand in 2024.