Replication Data for: Assessing Misinformation Recall and Accuracy Perceptions: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The presence of misinformation online is well established, but the uptake of that content and the sources of heterogeneity in uptake among the population remain sources of debate. We address these questions in the context of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring Americans’ ability to recall some of the most prominent forms of misinformation from the pandemic’s early days, as well as the factors associated with accuracy perceptions of these claims. Roughly one third of Amer-icans reported recalling misinformation; however, large shares also reported recalling “placebo” head-lines that did not circulate widely on social media. While still troubling, “true” recall of misinformation – which we measure as the differential in the percentage who report recalling misinformation and the percentage who report recalling “placebo” headlines – is much lower than self-reporting suggests. Supporters of President Trump, particularly those who were strong consumers of news, were the most likely to believe misinformation, including ideologically dissonant claims originating from foreign ac-tors. These findings point to the importance of continued research on corrections to misinformation and how they might be tailored to address key correlates of uptake.