Trust, Facts & Democracy

Majorities of Americans say the tone of political debate in the country has become more negative, less respectful, less fact-based and less substantive in recent years.

A majority of Americans say altered videos and images create confusion about current issues, and most support restrictions on such content.

A little over a year ago, Pew Research Center decided to intensify its research focus on the theme of trust, facts and democracy. As part of this initiative, the Center has published more than 30 pieces of related research over the past 12 months.

Politicians viewed as major creators of it, but journalists seen as the ones who should fix it

Republicans and Democrats are particularly divided on how closely they connect made-up news to the news media or to President Trump.

Many South Africans are dissatisfied with the state of their democracy. Confidence in some civic institutions declined from 1990 to 2013.

Dissatisfaction with democracy is correlated with views on economic conditions, whether key democratic norms are being respected and other issues.

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.