Birthers' Ranks Plunge: Poll

A year ago, 20% of Americans thought the president was foreign-born; now, it’s half that, a Washington Post poll finds. Surveyed after President Obama released his “long-form” birth certificate, just 10% of Americans now believe he was likely born outside the US. What's more, 70% say he’s a Hawaii native, compared to 48% in an April 2010 Post-ABC poll. Overall, 86% say he was born in the US or call that their “best guess," the Post notes.

Meanwhile, among those who hold that he’s foreign-born, nearly everyone says it’s just their “suspicion." Only 1% see “solid evidence” to support the idea, compared to 9% a year before. The false belief has plummeted most sharply among his opponents; while 31% said he was born abroad last year, just 14% believe it now. Last year, 35% of conservative Republicans thought Obama was born elsewhere; now it’s 16%. (More President Obama stories.)