1.
Education in the age of
fake news and disputed
facts
Lee Rainie – Pew Research Center

2.
• Facts are the atomic unit of truth
• Facts drive outcomes for individuals and societies
• Facts underlie justice
• Facts are democratic
• Facts are tied to trust
• Trust is what binds people together to:
• overcome uncertainty
• overcome vulnerability
• cement interdependence
• achieve collective action

3.
Information revolutions are like
avalanches

4.
Elizabeth Eisenstein
Folklore
Witchcraft
Alchemy

5.
Today
Trolls
Fake news
Weaponized information

6.
A new tension in American life
Losing trust in traditional sourcesWant to learn and grow

7.
June 15, 2017 8www.pewresearch.org
Learning needs start in labor markets

8.
June 15, 2017 9www.pewresearch.org

9.
June 15, 2017 10www.pewresearch.org

10.
Americans believe knowledge of computers, social dexterity,
communications skills, and access to ongoing training are keys
to success for workers
40
35
37
33
22
23
10
10
45
49
48
49
47
41
27
25
12
12
13
16
26
26
40
43
Extremely
important
Having a detailed understanding of
how to use computer technology
Being able to work with people from
many different backgrounds
Training in writing and
communicating
Access to training to keep skills up to
date
Mastering social media
Knowing a foreign language
Very
important
Somewhat
important
Training in math and science
Knowing a computer or programming
language
NET 85%
85%
85%
82%
69%
64%
37%
36%

11.
Learning as identity (% of those ages 18+)
57
61
73
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
I often find myself looking for new
opportunities to grow as a person
I like to gather as much information
as I can when I come across
something that I am not familiar
with
I think of myself as a lifelong learner
Describes me very well

12.
The motives of personal learners
% of those ages 18+
33
36
60
64
80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Learn something to help with my
children's or other kids school work
Wanted to turn a hobby into extra
income
Extra time on my hands
Learn something that would allow
me to help others
Learn something make my life more
interesting

13.
And…
93% say they agree with this statement: “I appreciate when I get
feedback about how I do things.”
92% say this statement describes them well: “I like gathering as
much information as I can when I come across something that
I’m not familiar with.”
91% say they agree with the statement: “I make an effort to
gather information on a regular basis on the topics that
matter to me.”
89% say this statement describes them well: “I often find myself
looking for new opportunities to grow as a person.”
83% say they agree with the statement: “I usually take into
consideration evidence that goes against my views.”
76% say this statement describes their views very well: “The
harder you work at something, the better you will be at it.”

14.
But, there are new challenges to
facts and trust

15.
16
The abundance of information has confused people
as much as it’s enlightened them
22 38 16 23
0 20 40 60 80 100
Very well Somewhat well Not too well Not well at all
I find it difficult to know
whether the information I find
online is trustworthy
% who say this statement
describes them…

16.
People’s trust in various sources of information
3
14
17
18
18
24
39
40
31
54
48
54
43
58
44
38
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Info on social media
Info from financial institutions
Info from national news organizations
Info from local news organizations
Info from government sources
Info from family and friends
Info from health care providers
Information from local public library
a lot some

17.
Fake news is seen as a problem

18.
Most say Clinton, Trump supporters cannot agree even on ‘basic facts’
On important issues facing the country, most Trump and Clinton supporters … (%)

19.
Trusting the President’s words?

20.
Few have a lot of trust in information from
professional news outlets or friends and family
Social media garners the least amount of trust

21.
Public Trust in Government: 1958-2015
Trust the federal government to do what is right just about always/most of the time

22.
A year before election, most felt like ‘their side’ was losing
more often than winning in politics
On issues that matter to you in politics today, has your side
been winning or losing more often? (%)

23.
And it has even affected people at
the personal level

24.
Both Parties Have Lost Confidence and Trust in Public’s
Potential Wisdom
% very great/good deal of trust and confidence in political wisdom of
American people

25.
26% of Americans have had false information posted about
them

26.
This is the result of the double-
edged impact of technology on
learning and culture

27.
Online survey of 2,462 Advanced
Placement and Writing Teachers
77% of
teachers
surveyed say
the internet and
digital search
tools have had
a “mostly
positive” impact
on their
students’
research work
87% agree
these
technologies
are creating
an “easily
distracted
generation
with short
attention
spans”

28.
76% of the
teachers in this
study strongly
agree “the
internet
enables
students to
access a wider
range of
resources than
would
otherwise be
available”
76% strongly
agree that
internet
“search
engines have
conditioned
students to
expect to be
able to find
information
quickly and
easily”

29.
65% agree to
some extent
that “the
internet makes
today’s
students more
self-sufficient
researchers”
83% agree
that the
“amount of
information
available
online today is
overwhelming
to most
students”

30.
90% agree
that “the
internet
encourages
learning by
connecting
students to
resources
about topics
of interest to
them”
71% agree that
today’s digital
technologies
“discourage
students from
using a wide
range of
sources when
conducting
research”

31.
Grading students’ research skills
1%
1%
3%
3%
5%
6%
7%
6%
11%
12%
19%
20%
20%
15%
26%
26%
29%
36%
38%
35%
37%
39%
26%
29%
33%
43%
24%
20%
21%
9%
0% 50% 100%
Ability to recognize bias in online
content
Patience and determination in
looking for information that is hard
to find
Ability to assess the quality and
accuracy of information they find
online
Ability to use multiple sources to
effectively support an argument
Understanding how online search
results are generated
Ability to use appropriate and
effective search terms and
queries
Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

32.
What people say they want/need
Smart allies (diversity really helps)
Improved curators
Proof of authenticity
Transparency
More confidence they can find
material to help them learn
Just-in-time help in
decision making
More training on tech use and
information literacy
Organizations that will help
and protect them

33.
In the next 10 years, do you think we will see the emergence
of new educational and training programs that can
successfully train large numbers of workers in the skills
they will need to perform the jobs of the future?
70% - “yes”
30% - “no”

34.
Theme 1
The training ecosystem will evolve, with a mix of innovation in all
education formats
• More learning systems will migrate online. Some will be self-
directed and some offered or required by employers; others will be
hybrid online/real-world classes. Workers will be expected to learn
continuously
• Online courses will get a big boost from advances in augmented
reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI)
• Universities still have special roles to play in preparing people for
life, but some are likely to diversify and differentiate

35.
Theme 2
Learners must cultivate 21st-century skills, capabilities and attributes
• Tough-to-teach intangibles such as emotional
intelligence, curiosity, creativity, adaptability, resilience
and critical thinking will be most highly valued
• Practical, experiential learning via apprenticeships and
mentoring will advance

36.
Theme 3
New credentialing systems will arise as self-directed
learning expands
• While the traditional college degree will still hold sway
in 2026, more employers may accept alternate
credentialing systems as self-directed learning options
and their measures evolve
• The proof of competency may be in the real-world work
portfolios

37.
Thank you
Email: lrainie@pewresearch.org
Twitter: @lrainie
@pewinternet
@pewresearch