Trust in the federal government is at historic lows, with only 19% of Americans saying they can trust the government most of the time. There is also little overlap between the news sources trusted by liberals and conservatives. Many see social media as a negative space for political discussions compared to face-to-face interactions, and 41% have experienced online harassment. Younger Americans are better able to distinguish facts from opinions. However, the share of Americans with a mix of liberal and conservative views is declining as party divisions have increased. Most also have little confidence in the political wisdom of the American people.
3. Trust in the federal government stuck at historic low
Source: Pew Research Center “Government Gets Lower Ratings for Handling Health Care, Environment, Disaster Response” Dec. 14, 2017. From 1976-2017, the trend line represents a three-survey moving average.
How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right?
Just about always/
Most of the time19%
67% Only some of the time
13% Never (Volunteered)
4. Consistent Liberals & Conservatives Often Live in Different Media Worlds
http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/
5. Little Overlap in the Sources Trusted for Political News
http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/
6. Many users see social media as an especially negative venue
for political discussions compared with face-to-face
% of social media users who say their political discussions are more or less __
compared with other places people might discuss politics
http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/10/25/the-political-environment-on-social-media/
9. Most say Clinton, Trump supporters cannot agree even on ‘basic
facts’
On important issues facing the country, most Trump and
Clinton supporters … (%)
http://www.people-press.org/2016/10/14/in-presidential-contest-voters-say-basic-facts-not-just-policies-are-in-dispute/
10. Fake news is seen as a problem – 1
Majority says fake news leaves Americans confused about basic facts
http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/
11. Fake news is seen as a problem – 2
23% report sharing fabricated news
http://www.journalism.org/2016/12/15/many-americans-believe-fake-news-is-sowing-confusion/
12. 26% of Americans have had false information posted about them
% of U.S. adults who have had untrue information about them posted online
http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/
13.
14. 14
Younger Americans are better able to distinguish between facts
and opinions
% of U.S. adults in each age group who correctly classified ____ factual statements as factual
16. Declining share of Americans holds a mix of liberal and
conservative views
Distribution of the public on a 10-item scale of political values
Source: Pew Research Center “The Partisan Divide on Political Values Grows Even Wider” Oct. 5, 2017.
17. Country viewed as falling short on a range of widely supported
democratic values
% who say each is very important for the U.S. and describes the country very/somewhat
well …
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 29-Feb. 13, 2018.
18. Negative stereotypes about the ‘other side’
http://www.people-press.org/2016/06/22/partisanship-and-political-animosity-in-2016/
19. Party now far exceeds other social divisions
Average divide across 10 political values, by key demographics
Source: Pew Research Center “The Partisan Divide on Political Values Grows Even Wider” Oct. 5, 2017.
20. Most have little or no confidence in political wisdom of the
American people
% saying they have ___ of trust and confidence in the wisdom of American people in making
political decisions
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 7-14, 2018.
23. Americans view tech and energy companies similarly when it
comes to having too much power and influence
http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/06/28/public-attitudes-toward-technology-companies/
% of U.S. adults who say the following entities have _____ power and influence in today’s economy
