Most Americans say it’s crucial to keep up with key news topics. However, far fewer say they’re highly informed themselves.
That’s the big takeaway from a just-released study from Pew Research Center that suggests news organizations need to do more to lure consumers, and keep them with deeper forms of journalism.
For Pew, its respondents across the U.S. “overwhelmingly say” it’s extremely or very important for people to stay informed about a range of news topics, including the healthcare system (82%), voting and election processes (82%), and what the president can and cannot do (80%).
A small percentage of those respondents who participated in a March survey conducted by Pew say they’re extremely or very informed about these topics themselves.
The survey asked U.S. adults about 11 news topics. Majorities say it’s highly important for individual Americans to stay informed about nearly all of them – even as far fewer say they’re personally well-informed in these areas.
For instance, three-quarters of adults say it’s extremely or very important to know about economic and tax policies, but just 24% feel highly informed themselves. Another 51% say they’re somewhat informed, while 24% are not too or not at all informed.
Pew’s Luxuan Wang also looked at Americans’ main sources of information on various topics, and they are diverse.
On many topics, such as U.S. foreign policy and immigration and citizenship policies, the news media ranks as the public’s top source of information. On other topics, such as Social Security and voting and election processes, many Americans also turn to government sources.
