American News Pathways Methodology
Data in the American News Pathways project is drawn from The American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Read for more information about this survey’s methodology.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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5 key findings from our latest Election News Pathways survey, from impeachment to the Democratic race
59% of Americans are following news about the 2020 candidates closely, but far fewer are following it very closely at this stage of the race.
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Democrats see Biden and Sanders as very different ideologically
There are differences among Democrats in perceptions of the front-runners’ political views by race and ethnicity, age, education and ideology.
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About one-fifth of Democrats and Republicans get political news in a kind of media bubble
In total, 20% of all Democrats get political news only from outlets with left-leaning audiences, while 18% of all Republicans do so only from outlets with right-leaning audiences.
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How people around the world see democracy in 8 charts
People are widely dissatisfied with democracy in their country and believe that elected officials don’t care what people like them think.
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Democratic Rights Popular Globally but Commitment to Them Not Always Strong
Majorities say the democratic principles tested on our survey are at least somewhat important. But often, underwhelming percentages describe democratic rights and institutions as very important.
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Most say journalists should be watchdogs, but views of how well they fill this role vary by party, media diet
Nearly three out of four U.S. adults say that, in general, it’s important for journalists to function as watchdogs over elected officials.
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Americans’ news fatigue isn’t going away – about two-thirds still feel worn out
66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days – a feeling that has persisted for several years now.
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Concern about influence of made-up news on the election is lowest among those paying the least attention
Concern is highest among people who follow political news most closely, older adults and those who display more knowledge about politics in general.
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Confidence in public acceptance of election results connects to following political news, relying on social media
Americans who closely follow political news are more likely to have confidence that the public will accept election results. And that’s true across party boundaries.
