Across eight Western European countries, people with populist leanings have more negative attitudes about the news media than do those with non-populist views.
Pew Research Center has examined how people think about democracy, trust in institutions, and the role of information in society for more than a decade. In light of current debates about the state of the democratic process and the importance of truth, the Center has further deepened its focus on public attitudes about the role of trust and facts in democracy. This page is a curation of the most relevant content on those topics.
Ratings on how well the media perform on several core functions, like investigating the actions of the government and getting the facts right, differ between those who hold populist views and those who do not.
Explore where users of news outlets in eight Western European countries place these outlets on a left-right spectrum, based on their perception of their ideological leanings.
Most Americans have negative views of the tone of political debate in their country. And a sizable majority says personal insults are “never fair game” in politics.
How do Americans feel about their own democracy? Read key findings from our recent report on Americans' views of democracy in America.
U.S. adults are mostly against government action that could limit people’s ability to access and publish information online. There is more support for steps by technology companies.
Across 35 nations, a median of 26% do not identify with any political party in their country. In countries where more people are unaffiliated with any political party, popular support for representative democracy is also lower.
A global median of 75% want their news media to be unbiased when covering political issues, yet many say the news media do a poor job of reporting on political issues fairly.
Political divides in the American news landscape do not end with Americans’ preferences for different news sources; rather, they extend to how members of the U.S. Congress communicate with constituents in the digital age.
America’s confidence in the scientific community appears to be relatively strong. But the degree of public trust in scientists across climate, food and medical issues varies, and many express moderate rather than strongly positive views.
