US population using the internetAmericans who believe the Earth is flat
Between 2011 and 2022, more Americans used the internet and more Americans entertained the possibility that the Earth is flat, and the two figures have risen together (r = 0.957) in a correlation that is, in a sense, the single saddest piece of evidence on the entire site. One tool distributed knowledge. Knowledge did not always arrive at the intended destination.
US internet usage grew from about 75% of adults in 2011 to over 93% by 2022, with older demographics finally crossing the line in the 2010s; the share of Americans telling pollsters they at least suspect the Earth is flat rose from under 1% to approximately 2%, with 'not sure' climbing to 6-9% depending on the poll. The real driver is YouTube's recommendation algorithm and the ensuing flat-earth documentaries, 'Behind the Curve' (2018) in particular, which a 2019 Texas Tech study found had converted over 80% of its surveyed viewers. Connectivity, uncomfortably, does not always produce consensus.
The signal arrives. The map changes. Not every expansion of access produces an expansion of agreement.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “US population using the internet” vs “Americans who believe the Earth is flat” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
