Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Most people across Central and Eastern Europe say they believe in evolution – that is, that humans and other living things have evolved to their present state over long periods – rather than that humans have existed in their current form since the beginning of time. And those who believe in evolution are more likely […]
A large share of respondents said that technology alone can’t work to improve the information environment. Among these respondents, most pointed out two areas of concern: 1) The need for better funding of and support for journalism that serves the common good. The attention economy of the digital age does not support journalism of the […]
About half of the people responding in this study were in substantial agreement that the positives of digital life will continue to outweigh the negatives. However, as in all great technological revolutions, digital life has and will continue to have a dark side. Roughly a third of respondents predicted that harms to well-being will outweigh […]
Most respondents who expect an improvement in the information environment in the coming years put their faith in maturing – and more discerning – information consumers finding ways to cope personally and band together to effect change. Fake news and information manipulation are no longer ‘other people’s problems.’ This new awareness of the importance of […]
About seven-in-ten Americans express at least some interest in science news – in fact, they report greater interest in science stories than news about business, entertainment and even sports, though more report interest in local and government news. But regardless of interest levels, a minority (36%) of the public gets science news regularly, and most […]
A portion of these respondents – 15% of them – said they expect that some people will choose to become more connected in the future, while others will opt out of the hyperconnected life. But most who articulated this theme said they feel that more will connect than will disconnect. Some predicted a trend in […]
Misinformation and “fake news” have been around for as long as people have communicated. But today’s instant, low-budget, far-reaching communications capabilities have the potential to make the problem orders of magnitude more dangerous than in the past. Mankind has always lied, and always will; which is why the winners of wars get to write the […]
Respondents to this canvassing were very focused on human nature and the special character of online interactions. They offered a series of ideas along these lines: To troll is human; anonymity abets anti-social behavior; inequities drive at least some inflammatory dialogue; and the growing scale and complexity of internet discourse makes this difficult to defeat […]
Many respondents to this canvassing said they are certain that there will be more attacks with more devastating results as billions more things and people become interconnected online and systems become more complex and difficult to manage. Some say these security concerns are likely to lead to regulation, although it might not take place until […]
Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center have asked questions that relate to learning in several earlier canvassings in the “Future of the Internet” series. The first was in 2004. In that study, 59% agreed and only 15% disagreed that the following scenario was likely by 2014: “Enabled by information technologies, the […]
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