Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News
Most say being informed is essential for voting. Yet views differ on the importance of following news – and many say they’re worn out by it.
Facts & Fact Checking
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Facts & Fact Checking
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Most Americans say Republican and Democratic voters cannot agree on basic facts
Eight-in-ten U.S. adults say Republican and Democratic voters not only disagree on plans and policies, but also cannot agree on basic facts.
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Around three-in-ten Americans are very confident they could fact-check news about COVID-19
Americans’ confidence in checking COVID-19 information aligns closely with their confidence in checking the accuracy of news stories broadly.
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Republicans far more likely than Democrats to say fact-checkers tend to favor one side
Republicans largely say fact-checking by news outlets and other organizations favors one side. Democrats mostly think it is fair to all sides.
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Younger Americans are better than older Americans at telling factual news statements from opinions
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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.
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Q&A: Telling the difference between factual and opinion statements in the news
Read a Q&A with Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research at Pew Research Center, on a new report that explores Americans’ ability to distinguish factual news statements from opinions.
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How People Approach Facts and Information
People deal in varying ways with tensions about what information to trust and how much they want to learn. Some are interested and engaged with information; others are wary and stressed.
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Majority of U.S. adults think news media should not add interpretation to the facts
A majority of U.S. adults (59%) reject the idea of adding interpretation, saying that the news media should present the facts alone
