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.
Displaying 30-40 of 83 results
Younger U.S. adults were better than their elders at differentiating between factual and opinion statements in a survey conducted in early 2018.
With less than six weeks to go before the elections for Congress, voter enthusiasm is at its highest level during any midterm in more than two decades.
While most Americans expect news will be accurate, most also say news organizations cover up mistakes, take sides
Nearly eight-in-ten Americans say that when it comes to important issues facing the country, most Republican and Democratic voters not only disagree over plans and policies, but also cannot agree on basic facts. Ironically, Republicans and Democrats do agree that partisan disagreements extend to the basic facts of issues, according to a new Pew Research Center survey
In the wake of Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory, an overwhelming majority of those who said they had voted for him had “warm” feelings for him.
Democratic legislators’ opposition to political adversaries on Facebook spiked after Trump’s election, while "angry" reactions to posts by members of Congress increased among followers.
The politically aware, digitally savvy and those more trusting of the news media fare better in differentiating factual statements from opinions.
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.
