With the dichotomy between the news from everywhere overseas and the “official” pronouncements from the US Government and their emissaries, it is impossible to discren truth from fiction. Given the demonstrated propensity for our government and its emissaries to lie to us, I cannot believe the results of this study.
It’s not that the individuals are all in on a conspiracy - it’s that the government holds the data hostage, making sure that all conclusions are drawn from the same (corrupted, IMHO) data set.
Your analysis largely resonates with my opinions, and your tag-line is spot-on!