Research Brief
Truth Decay
Jan 16, 2018
Political and civil discourse in the United States is characterized by "Truth Decay," defined as increasing disagreement about facts, a blurring of the line between opinion and fact, an increase in the relative volume of opinion compared with fact, and lowered trust in formerly respected sources of factual information. This report explores the causes and wide-ranging consequences of Truth Decay and proposes strategies for further action.
An Initial Exploration of the Diminishing Role of Facts and Analysis in American Public Life
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 2.6 MB | Best for desktop computers. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
ePub file | 1.2 MB | Best for mobile devices. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view ePub files. Calibre is an example of a free and open source e-book library management application. |
mobi file | 3.4 MB | Best for Kindle 1-3. On desktop computers and some mobile devices, you may need to download an eBook reader to view mobi files. Amazon Kindle is the most popular reader for mobi files. |
Arabic language version
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 2.4 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Chinese language version (summary only)
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 1 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Korean language version (summary only)
Format | File Size | Notes |
---|---|---|
PDF file | 1.5 MB | Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience. |
Format | List Price | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart | Paperback324 pages | $46.00 | $36.80 20% Web Discount |
Over the past two decades, national political and civil discourse in the United States has been characterized by "Truth Decay," defined as a set of four interrelated trends: an increasing disagreement about facts and analytical interpretations of facts and data; a blurring of the line between opinion and fact; an increase in the relative volume, and resulting influence, of opinion and personal experience over fact; and lowered trust in formerly respected sources of factual information. These trends have many causes, but this report focuses on four: characteristics of human cognitive processing, such as cognitive bias; changes in the information system, including social media and the 24-hour news cycle; competing demands on the education system that diminish time spent on media literacy and critical thinking; and polarization, both political and demographic. The most damaging consequences of Truth Decay include the erosion of civil discourse, political paralysis, alienation and disengagement of individuals from political and civic institutions, and uncertainty over national policy.
This report explores the causes and consequences of Truth Decay and how they are interrelated, and examines past eras of U.S. history to identify evidence of Truth Decay's four trends and observe similarities with and differences from the current period. It also outlines a research agenda, a strategy for investigating the causes of Truth Decay and determining what can be done to address its causes and consequences.
Truth decay's drivers feed into the four trends.
Truth decay's four trends result in the following consequences.
Consequences can feed back into the trends. And the trends can also feed back into the drivers.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Truth Decay's Four Trends
Chapter Three
Historical Context: Is Truth Decay New?
Chapter Four
Drivers: What Is Causing Truth Decay?
Chapter Five
The Consequences of Truth Decay
Chapter Six
The Road to Solutions: A Research Agenda
Appendix
Additional Information About Our Methodology
This project is a RAND Venture. Funding was provided by gifts from RAND supporters and income from operations.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.