Poll: Americans, press deepens polarization in country

2023-05-01 17:12:53, Kosova & Bota CNA

When it comes to the media's influence on democracy and political polarization in the country, Americans are more likely to say they are playing a harmful role than helping.

Nearly three-quarters of American adults (18 and older) say the press is increasing political polarization in the United States, and just under half say they have little or no confidence in the media's ability to report the news fairly and accurately.

These are the findings of a new survey conducted by the news agency 'The Associated Press', the 'NORC' Center for Research on Public Affairs and the 'Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' organization, which is published two days before May 3. World Press Freedom Day.

The survey shows that Americans have significant concerns about misinformation and the role that the mainstream media, along with politicians and social media platforms, play in spreading it. Likewise, many Americans are concerned about the growing threats to the safety of journalists.

"The news upsets people ," said Barbara Jordan, 53, a Democrat from Hutchinson, Kansas. Ms Jordan says that instead of following what's on TV, she does her own research online. " I trust the Internet more than TV ," she adds.

A lack of trust may lead many Americans to reject mainstream news outlets, focusing on social media and unreliable websites that spread false claims, leading to further polarization.

A small majority of Americans say they have some confidence in the media's ability to report fully and accurately, and only 16% say they are very confident they can do so. Forty-five percent of Americans say they have little or no faith.

The poll reveals the complicated relationship many Americans have with the mainstream media. And while overall trust in the media is low, most respondents say the media is doing at least somewhat well in covering the issues they care about.

40% of Americans say the press is playing more of a damaging role in democracy, about 20% say the press is protecting it. Another 40% do not agree with any of the positions.

The partisan media and social media platforms have fueled the problem, causing many Americans to see each other as enemies, says Joe Salegna, a Republican who lives in Long Island, New York.

"I think they are dividing this country," 50-year-old Salegna told the AP agency. "Since the 2016 elections, the situation has worsened a lot ," he adds.

Republicans have a less favorable attitude toward television media than Democrats. 61% of Republicans say the media is hurting democracy, compared to 23% of Democrats and 36% of independents who don't lean toward either party. Majorities of Americans across the political spectrum say the media fuels political division, and the majority of those who believe this are Republicans.

The poll shows that a large number of Republicans think the news is strongly influenced by the government and the political views of journalists.

Coverage of the recent presidential election, the coronavirus pandemic, protests against police killings of members of the African-American community, and other events, are reasons for Ms. Janis Fort not to trust the media. A TV station covers an event that others ignore, she says, leaving viewers unsure of who to believe.

"Everyone tells a different story. The media does nothing but instill fear ," said Ms. Fort, a 71-year-old retired Republican who lives in Navarre, Florida. "I and most people I know feel like we're completely in the dark."

Research has shown that the fragmentation of the media ecosystem, driven largely by the Internet, has contributed to polarization. Experts say that the increased political divisions in the United States have a number of causes.

They cite as examples the practices of administrative divisions in constituencies that give advantage to one party at the expense of another, reducing political competition, or politicians that inspire fear and distrust, but media fragmentation and misinformation also have an impact clearly.

"We should be concerned about the health of democracy ," says Joshua Tucker, a policy expert at New York University who studies issues of bias in favor of a particular cause.

Concern about the threat posed by misinformation unites Americans on both sides of the aisle. About 9 in 10 American adults say misinformation is a problem. A third of them say they hear false claims from politicians or misleading newspaper headlines every day.

"There's still good journalism, it's just that the Internet has made it so that anyone can act like one ," said Chris Nettell of Hickory Creek, Texas, who says he leans Democratic. " Some media reports only on a certain segment of society, and those who follow these news believe that everyone else thinks the same."

As for social media's role in misinformation, nearly two-thirds of respondents say that when they see a news story on them, they expect it to be incorrect. As for those who say they regularly rely on social media for information, they were more likely to trust it than other sources of information.

Overall, about 60% of Americans say that the media has the main responsibility for spreading false and inaccurate information, and a similar percentage think that the media has a large responsibility for dealing with this problem. Most also think that social media companies and politicians are also responsible for spreading misinformation and stopping it.

"A lot of people get their information from social media and people believe what they want to believe ," said Araceli Cervantes, a 39-year-old Chicago mother of four who says she has Republican leanings.

When it comes to protecting press freedom, 44% of respondents say the US government is doing a good job, more than 24% say it is doing a bad job. However, most Americans are somewhat concerned when it comes to the safety of journalists. Approximately one third say they are very or extremely concerned about attacks on the press./ VOA