The shifting political landscape of what we trust

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked about trust: AI and deepfakes have us doubting … just about everything we see, hear and watch. But has it led to shifts in what we trust? Back in 2020 we fielded a survey for What the Future’s Truth issue. So we trended a key question there about the sources we are confident in. 

What we found: There were some shifts, for sure, from 2020 when we fielded this question last. And interestingly, they showed up most prominently in the party identification splits. While large majorities tend to believe eyewitness accounts, there is a newfound party split with Republicans now more likely to believe eyewitnesses than Democrats. Democrats are now more likely to believe statements from government officials (59% to 35%), which is a big reversal from August 2020 when it was 45% to 33%. Granted, there’s been a reversal in the government officials, too. And while there is still high confidence in government records, there is a partisan split opening there, too. Democrats are now more likely to believe advertising. And Democrats are FAR more likely to believe academics and researchers, which was the case in 2020. We added a couple of items this wave about videos and photos we see on social media, and few claim confidence in either. 

More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:

Fewer think AI is coming for white collar jobs

One in ten think the Supreme Court will decide the Presidential election

Many report economic anxiety and spending shifts during election season

People with higher incomes have more expectation of generational wealth

The Ipsos Care-O-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?