Stat: 59 percent: The percentage of Americans who say they have little to no confidence in the public’s political wisdom.

Story: As the new year—and an election year—begins, we turn to data on our democracy to learn more about how Americans view institutions and civic life today. Host Dan LeDuc speaks with Michael Dimock, president of the Pew Research Center, about the latest research on trust, facts, and democracy in America.

Related resources:

Young Americans Are Less Trusting of Other People—and Key Institutions—Than Their Elders

Key Findings About Americans’ Declining Trust in Government and Each Other

Public Highly Critical of State of Political Discourse in the U.S.

Public Trust in Government: 1958-2019 

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