WASHINGTON, D.C.—According to a new study published by Pew Research Center, skepticism among Americans has increased by 60 percent in the last two years, marking a shift in—wait, hold on. 60%? That can’t be right.
Pew found that Americans’ belief in information presented as factual has plummeted across a range of ages and political leanings, alongside trust in government, academia, and other institutions. Meanwhile, the number of self-identified subscribers to conspiracy theories has more than quadrupled since—QUADRUPLED? Wait, what conspiracy theories are they counting?
Experts have attributed the increase in skepticism to elevated social media use and associated declines in legacy news media viewership. Among those surveyed, one-fifth said that they get their news primarily from an independent media outlet, while nearly one quarter said they spend at least an hour on social media per day. Previous surveys suggest that digital misinform—Sorry, no, there’s absolutely no way that’s right. ONE HOUR? So three quarters of Americans are spending less than an hour—what year is this survey data from?
The authors of the study also highlight a correlation between political polarization and declining trust in scientific expertise, which, okay, sure, among Republicans… let’s see… “across a range of ages and political leanings”… is this a subgroup analysis? Wait, this is across the board? No, this is definitely made up.
Pew Research Center is supposedly a non-partisan, not-for-profit institution, but if this study is any indication, they are no longer a reliable source of information. The idea that Americans are becoming this distrustful is simply outlandish.
