New research shows some surveys might not be as accurate as we all think.

Researchers asked Kiwis if they believed the Canadian Government was secretly training genetically enhanced raccoons for warfare, with 7.2 percent of respondents - or 300,000 people - saying they believed it.

University of Otago psychology expert on Dr John Kerr says it's extremely unlikely all these respondents believed this, and the question was designed to be outlandish to weed out the trolls.

"It helped us to get an idea of the extent of what we'd call 'insincere responders' - or trolls, who are skewing the results on this kind of research." 

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