As Americans head to the polls for a critical mid-term election, a new Reboot report studying the impact of election misinformation – and how it may undermine confidence in the democratic process – explored what is possible when community engagement is authentic and practiced. Reboot’s research shows that people who are more engaged in their communities and government are better equipped to protect themselves from misinformation and feel more empowered to deal with it. Survey findings from the report, “Misinformed & Misled: Uncertainty, Mistrust and Disinformation Frustrate Voters,” found that engaged citizens were 67 percent more likely to identify election misinformation when compared to those with low community engagement. We defined engaged citizens as those who take steps like attending public meetings, protests and rallies, communicating with government officials, or working with others to solve local problems.
