Younger Americans are better than older Americans at telling factual news statements from opinions
Younger U.S. adults were better than their elders at differentiating between factual and opinion statements in a survey conducted in early 2018.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Journalism
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‘Defining the universe’ is essential when writing about survey data
Given the wide range of people we speak to for our polls – and the issues we ask them about – it’s important to be as clear as possible about exactly who says what. In research circles, this practice is sometimes called “defining the universe.”
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Social Media Bots Draw Public’s Attention and Concern
About two-thirds of Americans have heard about social media bots. Many are concerned that bots are used maliciously and negatively affect how well-informed Americans are about current events.
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The real value of a $15 minimum wage depends on where you live
Although most Americans back a higher minimum wage, wide disparities in local living costs make finding an appropriate rate difficult.
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Newsroom employees earn less than other college-educated workers in U.S.
Newsroom employees are more than twice as likely as other U.S. workers to be college graduates. But they tend to make less money than college-educated workers in other industries.
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Turnout in this year’s U.S. House primaries rose sharply, especially on the Democratic side
Turnout in this year’s primaries for Congress and most state governorships surged compared with the last midterms in 2014, particularly among Democrats. Nearly a fifth (19.6%) of registered voters – about 37 million – cast ballots in primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives – a 56% increase over the 23.7 million who voted in 2014’s House primaries. Turnout that year was 13.7% of registered voters.
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Trump has appointed a larger share of female judges than other GOP presidents, but lags Obama
Women account for 28% of the 67 judges Trump has appointed to the federal courts since taking office, well below the share appointed by Barack Obama but higher than the share appointed by any other Republican president. Seven of the 67 judges (10%) are racial or ethnic minorities.
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Most Western Europeans prefer TV news while use of print outlets lags
Western Europeans have a clear preference for television as a source of news. And while use of online and radio outlets for news is also widespread, print trails the other formats.
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Few women lead large U.S. companies, despite modest gains over past decade
While women are still underrepresented in top corporate jobs, there has been a small increase in the share of women executives in such positions over the past decade.
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Partisans Remain Sharply Divided in Their Attitudes About the News Media
While most Americans expect news will be accurate, most also say news organizations cover up mistakes, take sides
