Social Studies Lab

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Trust Me

What percent of Americans trust the information they hear about the coronavirus from President Trump?

  1. How accurate was your prediction?

  2. What is the big story this poll tells?

  3. Why do you think that is?

  4. What is one consequence of this?

  5. Is this good news?

  6. What role do you think the news media plays in this very divided level of trust in the President?

  7. Do you trust the information you hear about the coronavirus from President Trump?

  8. Do you think a society that faces a challenge is more likely to succeed if they have a leader they trust?

  9. As the crisis gets worse (and it will) how will the numbers in this poll change?

  10. How do you think America’s collective level of trust in the POTUS will impact our ability to navigate this health crisis?

  11. Explain whether the U.S. Constitution gave the U.S. government enough power to fight adversaries like COVID-19.

  12. How does party affiliation impact trust in the President?

  13. 7% of Republicans don’t trust President Trump at all and 2% of Democrats trust President Trump a great deal. Why don’t they switch parties?

  14. Regarding Coronavirus, of the following, which the the most trusted by the American people: Trump, Media, State and Local Government, Public Health Experts?

  15. What does this data tell us about American federalism?

  16. Why don’t political leaders just step aside in times of crisis and let public health experts run responses to pandemics?

  17. 4% of all Americans do NOT trust public health experts. What is their problem?

  18. Experts are experts because they know a lot about something. Politicians are successful because they are good at winning elections. Do you think we’d be better off in a government led by experts instead of in a democracy, led by the most popular?

  19. America is very politically divided between urban and rural dwellers, and so far, the coronavirus has effected these urban and rural areas very differently. Do you believe that over time, these numbers are likely to change?

  20. Do you think the coronavirus is a real threat or is it being blown out of proportion?*

  21. What portion of Americans think the coronavirus has been blown out of proportion?*

  22. A majority of Republicans do not think Coronavirus is a real threat. Why do you think that is?*

  23. Just about 56% of Americans consider the coronavirus a "real threat," representing a drop of 10 percentage points from last month. (in other words, people are less scared of coronavirus than they were last month!) At the same time, a growing number of Americans think the coronavirus is being "blown out of proportion." What do you think explains that paradoxical response?

  24. What role do you think the news media plays in this very divided level of concern over Coronavirus?

  25. What is the worst consequence of overreacting to a threat?

  26. What is the worst consequence of undereacting to a threat?

  27. Explain whether it is better to undereact or overreact to a threat.

Visual Extension*

Learning Extension

Check out the highlights of the NPR/PBS/Marist poll on coronavirus and listen to the NPR story below.

See this content in the original post

Action Extension

Wash your hands and follow this good advice!