Truth vs Opinion: Why 45% of Americans Can't Tell the Difference

Nearly half of Americans cannot distinguish between statements of fact and opinion, according to a Harvard Kennedy School study that helps explain the nation’s struggle with misinformation and political polarization.

The study, published in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, found 45% of Americans — including educated people and leaders — lack the ability to separate objective facts from subjective opinions. This confusion makes it easier for false information to spread and take hold across political lines.

The problem extends beyond typical political divides. Geeta Anand, editor-in-chief of VTDigger who previously worked at major publications including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, discovered the issue firsthand while teaching journalism at UC Berkeley. In a November interview with VTDigger podcaster David Goodman at Manchester Community Library, Anand described her shock at graduate journalism students’ skepticism about objective truth.

“On both sides (of politics), they were very skeptical that there was a truth or even that facts existed,” Anand said. “That was terrifying to me.”

Anand, who began her career at the Rutland Herald before moving to major outlets like the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal, said it took months to convince some students that verifiable information forms journalism’s foundation. She had never questioned that her work as a journalist was “in pursuit of truth,” but many students across the political spectrum disagreed.

The confusion between facts and opinions has real consequences in Connecticut and beyond. Facts represent objective, verifiable information based on data and evidence. Opinions reflect subjective statements rooted in personal views and emotions. While everyone deserves their own opinions, those beliefs do not become facts regardless of conviction.

This blurring of lines appears in unlikely places, including wellness movements that encourage people to “find your own truth” or “speak your truth.” Dr. Deepak Chopra, a prominent holistic wellness figure, published an essay in July 2024 titled “How to Find Your Own Truth,” responding to “widespread disinformation, lies told at high levels, and a prevailing distrust of news media.”

Chopra presents truth as subjective and personal: “Your truth is dynamic. The light is designed to accommodate every new situation as well as every unique person. Truth isn’t vast and daunting. It is intimate and personal, once you have the experience.”

This approach, while well-intentioned for personal growth, contributes to broader confusion about objective reality. Connecticut observes Lincoln’s birthday as a state holiday on February 12, honoring “Honest Abe” — though his nickname came from campaign slogans rather than documented truthfulness. Similarly, George Washington’s “I cannot tell a lie” reputation stems from an apocryphal cherry tree story created by an early biographer.

The timing feels particularly relevant as the nation grapples with cable media bias, online misinformation, and claims about “alternative facts.” Without shared understanding of objective reality, productive discussions about politics, government, and social issues become nearly impossible.

In an 1864 letter to Col. William F. Elkins, Lincoln himself grappled with questions of truth and national unity during another polarized moment in American history. Today’s challenge requires similar clarity about the difference between what can be verified and what reflects personal belief.