US Residents Distrustful Of US Government Statistics

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published March 29, 2017 at 12:38 PM EDT

During his campaign, President Donald Trump repeatedly voiced distrust of the national unemployment numbers, calling them “totally fiction" and a “hoax.” He's not alone in his skepticism. Anew surveyby British polling companyYouGovshows many Americans are distrustful of statistics released by the U.S. government and the degree of trust varies along party lines.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Mona Chalabi, Guardian US data editor, about American's distrust of government statistics.

MonaChalabi , Guardian US data editor, breaks down the many reasons why Americans don’t trust the numbers, and explains how people can become more data literate.Chalabispoke at North Carolina State University on March 27.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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