How widespread was the public panic caused by The War of the Worlds broadcast?

While the 1938 radio play of The War of the Worlds by Orson Welles is often cited as having caused widespread, nationwide panic, historical evidence suggests the reaction was significantly exaggerated.12

Although some listeners who missed the program's introduction mistook the fictional broadcast for a real news report about an invasion, the actual scale of the panic was limited. Estimates suggest that only about 20 percent of the audience—fewer than one million people—were fooled. Many listeners were tuned into a more popular program featuring Edgar Bergen at the time, and the practice of using actors to portray newsmakers was already common in radio.12

The perception of a mass hysteria was largely fueled by newspapers, which were eager to discredit radio as a competing medium. While some individuals did contact authorities in fear, the narrative of a nation in total chaos is considered a historical overstatement.12