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Commentary

Strengthening Our Democracy Starts in School

Dec 17, 2015

The teaching of civics and other social studies courses has hit hard times in most states, driven in part by accountability systems that reward schools for math and reading scores. Yet civic education is critical to the stability of our democracy and seems warranted now more than ever.
Project

Truth Decay: Fighting for Facts and Analysis

Jan 16, 2018

RAND is studying “Truth Decay”—the diminishing reliance on facts and analysis in American public life. Truth Decay presents a threat to both evidence-based policymaking and democracy. RAND invites fellow researchers and engaged stakeholders to join our efforts to find solutions.

Explore Civic Education

Commentary

Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime

Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.

Jul 12, 2018
Commentary

In Reckoning with Today's Truth Wars, Look to America's Past

The declining regard for factual evidence may be a defining characteristic of our current age. Previous eras suggest it is within society's power to restore respect for objective facts. Humankind just needs to put it on the agenda.

Jun 19, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay and Trust in Institutions

In this Events @ RAND podcast, the Pew Research Center's Carroll Doherty joins RAND's Jennifer Kavanagh for a discussion about the causes and consequences of Truth Decay and declining trust in institutions.

Jun 7, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay and Civil Discourse

In this Events @ RAND podcast, Jennifer Kavanagh addresses the connection between Truth Decay and the erosion of civil discourse, as well as Truth Decay's effects on policymaking and the future of democracy.

May 24, 2018
Blog

Regulation or Research? How to Reduce Truth Decay in the Media

What is social media's role in the decline of trust in the media? Is government intervention needed to help stop the spread of misinformation? A panel of researchers discussed the connection between the media and Truth Decay at a RAND event in Boston.

May 22, 2018
Article

How to Increase Immunity to Truth Decay

Americans have always held differing views about policy issues. But more and more, they disagree about basic facts. This is a symptom of what RAND calls “Truth Decay,” and it's doing severe damage to democracy in the United States.

May 16, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay: A Narrated Video

"Truth Decay" is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life. RAND is studying the causes and consequences of this phenomenon, and how they are interrelated. We invite other research organizations and individuals to join us in finding potential solutions and responses.

May 16, 2018
Multimedia

How Truth Decay Happens

“Truth Decay”—the shrinking role of facts and analysis in American public life—threatens democracy, policymaking, and civic discourse. RAND is studying this phenomenon to help understand what drives it and how to address it.

May 16, 2018
Multimedia

Truth Decay and the Media

In this Events @ RAND podcast, a panel of experts discusses the connection between the media and Truth Decay. They address the effects of changes in the information environment, including the rise of social media, the shift to a 24-hour news cycle, increasing partisanship of some news sources, algorithms and filters, and media literacy.

May 8, 2018
Commentary

People—Not the Tech Companies—Will Ultimately Stop Disinformation in Europe

Authorities can continue to seek to punish the tech companies for the circulation of false articles. But this is unlikely to make a difference until more people take the time to acquire the skills to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Apr 9, 2018
Commentary

Truth Decay and the Spirit of the Law

The widening gap between how the law is expected to be (and generally is) practiced, and certain events transpiring in America's political and policymaking realms, is of increasing concern.

Mar 23, 2018
Commentary

The Danger of Truth Decay Across Europe

“Truth Decay” poses a threat to the health and future of democracy across Europe. With partial facts, disinformation, and incompatible versions of “the truth” competing for attention, it's more and more important for Europeans to recognize this phenomenon.

Mar 19, 2018
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: March-April 2018

This issue features a Q&A with Michael Rich, Soledad O'Brien, and Francis Fukuyama on the perils of truth decay, and a story on the trend toward unretirement among U.S. workers. The Voices column features Gulrez Shah Azhar on environmental refugees.

Mar 5, 2018
Commentary

The Perils of Truth Decay: Q&A with Three RAND Leaders

Truth Decay is defined by disagreement about facts, the blurred line between opinion and fact, increased volume of opinion and personal experience over fact, and declining trust in formerly respected sources of facts. RAND president and CEO Michael D. Rich, journalist Soledad O'Brien, and political scientist Francis Fukuyama discuss the phenomenon and the search for solutions to it.

Feb 27, 2018
Commentary

The Diminishing Role of Facts in American Public Life

Without agreement about objective facts and a common understanding of and respect for data and analytical interpretations of those data, it becomes nearly impossible to have the types of meaningful policy debates that form the foundation of democracy.

Jan 17, 2018
Multimedia

Exploring "Truth Decay"

In this Call with the Experts, RAND president and CEO Michael Rich and political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh discuss the causes and consequences of Truth Decay, and how they compare with previous eras in U.S. history.

Jan 17, 2018
Research Brief

Truth Decay: A Threat to Policymaking and Democracy

The line between fact and fiction in American public life is blurring. This “Truth Decay” phenomenon affects democracy and political and civil discourse, driving wedges between policymakers and neighbors alike. But research and analysis can serve as a launching point to rein Truth Decay in.

Jan 16, 2018
Report

Declining Trust in Facts and Institutions Imposes Costs on Society

“Truth Decay” is the diminishing reliance on facts and analysis in American public life. It has many damaging consequences: the erosion of civil discourse, political paralysis, alienation and disengagement from political and civic institutions, and uncertainty over U.S. policy.

Jan 16, 2018
News Release

News Release

Declining Trust in Facts, Institutions Imposes Real-World Costs on U.S. Society

Americans' reliance on facts to discuss public issues has declined significantly in the past two decades, leading to political paralysis and collapse of civil discourse. This phenomenon, referred to as “Truth Decay,” is defined by increasing disagreement about facts, a blurring between opinion and fact, an increase in the relative volume of opinion and personal experience over fact, and declining trust in formerly respected sources of factual information.

Jan 16, 2018

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