The share of Americans who say they often get news from a podcast is quite small, at just 7%; 16% of adults say they sometimes do.
Public views are tied to how these technologies would be used and what constraints would be in place.
The share of Americans who say they often get news from a podcast is quite small, at just 7%; 16% of adults say they sometimes do.
Trust in scientists and medical scientists has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, with 29% of U.S. adults saying they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This is down from 40% in November 2020 and 35% in January 2019, before COVID-19 emerged. Other prominent groups – including the military, police officers and public school principals – have also seen their ratings decline.
37% of U.S. adults say they are following news about the coronavirus outbreak very closely. That is up from 31% in March 2021.
75% of U.S. adults say they have read a book in the past 12 months in any format, a figure that has remained largely unchanged since 2011.
The declining public trust in the news media and polarization of news audiences have profound effects on civic life.
As 2021 draws to a close, here are some of Pew Research Center’s most striking research findings from the past year.
Here is how the average adult Twitter user in the U.S. tweeted about the news in 2021, as well as how these patterns have changed since 2015.
As democratic nations have wrestled with economic, social and geopolitical upheaval in recent years, the future of liberal democracy has come into question. Our international surveys reveal key insights into how citizens think about democratic governance.
Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.