The U.S. has become a nation of “rooters” and facts have taken a back seat when it comes to Americans supporting their favorite politicians, public opinion pollster Lee Miringoff told Hill.TV on Tuesday.
“It’s not necessarily what the facts are — you want to hear good things about your side,” Lee, who is director of Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, told Hill.TV. “So social media and Twitter allow you to find folks, to follow folks to watch on cable who you can root for.”
Miringoff said even though some Americans use social media for news and information, a significant portion use the platform to seek out and support their own political side.
“We’ve become a nation of rooters in a sense and the facts are taking a back seat,” he added.
The pollster said that this recent phenomena is also playing out in U.S. media coverage, with many Americans dismissing news as “biased” if it doesn’t support their political views in a favorable light.
“You want to hear polls that show your person in front. If the person’s not in front, you slam it because the poll must be biased,” Lee said. “Media coverage is the same thing. You want favorable media coverage for your team.”
Miringoff was responding to a Marist Poll released Monday that explored public trust in American institutions.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said they have little to no confidence in both Congress and the media, while 63 percent said they have little to no trust in accurate or fair campaign media coverage.
The survey also found that 59 percent believe communication through social media has become reckless and distracting.
—Tess Bonn
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