It's all well and good to say look at the data. And as I've said, if the public engages with the output of the scientific process that has to be considered a good thing. But "looking at the data" is not just taking the gestalt of graphs that come through social media feeds with no context and a bunch of spin. Bottom line, "looking at the data" in a comprehensive way is a shit ton of hard work. For example, many that post here have convinced themselves that immunity induced through infection is "superior" to immunity induced through vaccination. A small subset of cohort studies have been discussed. What is the composite of the remarkably large amount of work that is being done?
On that topic the link below is what the CDC would consider looking at the data (updated as of last month), and this is even a distilled topline document, the sort of the thing a congress critter might scan over while they are taking a crap. But it would be a good place to start "looking at the data" in a comprehensive way. Read the studies that are cited, start blocking out the variables, compare, contrast, synthesize. And then you could obviously drill down even further, while still keeping up with the flood of new studies that are constantly coming out.
My point is that there are very few people (teams of people even) that are even in a position to comprehensively look at the data. What we are individually doing is a 21st century version of going with our gut, as has been pointed out. "Those strange yellow fruits tasted good so maybe these yellow berries will work out too" has become "this piece of information makes sense to me in terms of what I already think I know". It's the same thing.
CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.
www.cdc.gov