More Americans want government to restrict misinformation online

Plus, views of U.S. institutions, America's incarceration rate falls, digital divides persist between rural, suburban and urban areas August 21, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ More Americans now say government should take steps to restrict false information online than in 2018 Amid rising concerns over misinformation, Americans are now a bit more open to the idea of the U.S. government taking steps to restrict false information online. Roughly half of U.S. adults (48%) say the government should take steps to restrict such misinformation, even if it means losing some freedom to access and publish content. That is up from 39% three years ago, with Democrats driving much of the increase. Meanwhile, a majority of the public continues to favor technology companies taking steps to restrict online misinformation. Republicans increasingly critical of several major U.S. institutions, including big corporations and banks Republicans are critical of how several major institutions – from large corporations and technology companies to universities and K-12 public schools – are affecting the United States. And in many cases, GOP assessments have taken a sharp negative turn in the past few years. As in the past, some of the widest partisan differences are in views of colleges and universities. About three-quarters of Democrats say colleges and universities have a positive effect on the way things are going in the country today, but only about a third of Republicans say the same. Sign up for our monthly politics newsletter America’s incarceration rate falls to lowest level since 1995 The U.S. incarceration rate fell in 2019 to its lowest level since 1995, according to recently published government statistics. At the end of 2019, there were just under 2.1 million people behind bars in the U.S., including 1.43 million under the jurisdiction of federal and state prisons and roughly 735,000 in the custody of locally run jails. That amounts to a nationwide incarceration rate of 810 inmates for every 100,000 adult residents, down nearly 20% since 2008. Still, the U.S. incarcerates a larger share of its population than any other country. Some digital divides persist between rural, urban and suburban America Rural Americans have made large gains in adopting digital technology over the past decade, with sharp increases in smartphone and tablet ownership. Around seven-in-ten rural Americans (72%) now also say they have a broadband internet connection at home, up from 63% in 2016. However, rural adults remain less likely than suburban adults to have home broadband and less likely than urban adults to own a smartphone, tablet computer or traditional computer. 6 facts about Jainism in India How Americans feel about ‘cancel culture’ and offensive speech in 6 charts Have some data with your coffee Add Pew Research Center to your Alexa flash briefing. From our research 77% The share of Democrats who say K-12 public schools have a positive effect on the way things are going in this country, compared with 42% of Republicans. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2021 Pew Research Center