Facing Facts in an Era of Political Polarization: Young People's Learning and Knowledge about Economic Inequality

by Benjamin Bowyer and Joseph Kahne

Whereas the impact of media on informing the public about factual information on charged issues has been the subject of substantial study, the impact of educational efforts relative to these issues has received little attention. Bowyer and Kahne believe it is important to examine whether teachers' attempts to highlight the need for verifying truth claims lead to increased knowledge of factual information, especially concerning politically charged topics like economic inequality.