How many unarmed black men were killed by cops?

Can you guess the right answer?

I’m going to ask you a question from a recent poll … let’s see if you can guess the actual answer (no cheating by scrolling down!)

How many unarmed black men were killed by police in 2021?

Do you think the answer is:

1. 0

2. 10

3. 100

4. 1,000

5. 10,000

6. More than 10,000

Just over a quarter of Gen Zers guessed that cops killed 1,000 unarmed Black men in 2021. Close to a quarter of millennials said the same thing. Almost 9% of Gen Zers assumed more than 10,000 unarmed Black men were killed by police.

Did you notice the actual answer in the caption above?

Yep. It’s 11. 

It says something about the culture of media — dare I say “disinformation”? — today that so many people were so far off on their estimates. 

And these misperceptions matter. They’re what cause people to burn cities and riot and scream at officers during protests. They’re what cause people to vote based on wrong assumptions. 

If we’re concerned about truth and understanding our country, we should definitely be concerned about this. 

– Ken