While congressional Democrats negotiate within their ranks over the “Build Back Better” plan, the public is more likely to have heard about what it would cost than about the specific policies that would be in it. Despite the popularity, in principle, of these program ideas, some of the very popular […] Read more »
Americans’ Trust in Themselves
… Americans have in recent years become more negative about their government and have concomitantly become more negative about the ability of the American people as a whole “when it comes to making judgments under our democratic system about the issues facing our country.” There are many plausible reasons for […] Read more »
Americans agree misinformation is a problem, poll shows
Nearly all Americans agree that the rampant spread of misinformation is a problem. Most also think social media companies, and the people that use them, bear a good deal of blame for the situation. But few are very concerned that they themselves might be responsible, according to a new poll […] Read more »
The problem with our election obsession
Every day is not Election Day. Most days are not Election Day. Most of what happens in the years between elections won’t affect what happens on Election Day. Yet the United States’ political culture has become singularly obsessed with elections, directing us away from important debates about issues and turning […] Read more »
Trust in Politicians, Voters Continues to Ebb
Americans’ lack of confidence in government may be related, in part, to a waning trust in the elected decision-makers who are ultimately responsible for how government functions, along with the voters who put them in office. Less than half of U.S. adults (44%) say they have a great deal or […] Read more »
Facebook hides data showing it harms users. Outside scholars need access.
The disclosures made by whistleblower Frances Haugen about Facebook — first to the Wall Street Journal and then to “60 Minutes” — ought to be the stuff of shareholders’ nightmares: … Facebook, however, may be too big for the revelations to hurt its market position — a sign that it […] Read more »