Trust, Facts and Democracy

Across 27 countries, more people are unhappy with the state of democracy in their countries than satisfied. Discontent with democracy is tied to concerns about the economy, individual rights and out-of-touch elites.

There are partisan divisions over certain aspects of local news reporting, including whether local journalists should express views on local issues.

Many Indians are satisfied with how democracy is working in India. But most see politicians as corrupt and question the efficacy of elections.

While partisans agree that political leaders should be honest and ethical, they differ over whether particular leaders display these traits.

Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research, presented a synthesis of the Pew Research Center’s growing explorations of issues related to trust, facts and democracy at a forum hosted by the International Institute of Communications on December 5, 2018.

From the start of Trump’s presidency, Americans have been divided along partisan lines in their views of him. Our video aims to place views of him in context.

With a week to go before Election Day, Americans are confident their local election authorities are up to the essential tasks of making sure that elections are run smoothly and that votes are counted accurately.

Younger U.S. adults were better than their elders at differentiating between factual and opinion statements in a survey conducted in early 2018.