The result “blows the lid off of this idea” that such beliefs are held by only a fringe population of individuals who are uninformed or ideologically driven, says David Bersoff, head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute. “This is not like a small problematic group.”
Calling them “unproven claims” does a disservice to science, society, and all of humanity. Call them what they are: lies. They’re lies, and they’re killing people.
That is entirely the point.