TABLE 2.5 TRUSTWORTHINESS OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE PAST BY AGE -- NATIONAL SAMPLE

We asked our respondents for the following information about seven "places where people might get information about the past:" "Please tell (us) how trustworthy you think each is as a source of information about the past using a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 means not at all trustworthy and 10 means very trustworthy." The table below divides the National Sample into four age groups, and reports the mean score those four groups gave each of the seven sources of information about the past listed in the far-left column. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of respondents of the given age group who answered the question.

How trustworthy do you think ___ are as a source of information.

AGE
Total National sample
18 to 29
30 to 44
45 to 64
65 and older
Significance test

Museums

8.4 (778)
8.4 (151)
8.5 (304)
8.5 (213)
8.2 (105)
NS

Personal accounts from your grandparents or other relatives

8.0 (789)
8.0 (152)
7.9 (306)
8.1 (212)
8.4 (114)
.03

Conversation with someone who was there

7.8 (790)
7.9 (154)
7.9 (303)
7.7 (214)
7.6 (113)
NS

College history professors

7.3 (692)
7.6 (136)
7.3 (275)
7.2 (187)
7.1 (89)
NS

High school history teachers

6.6 (771)
6.4 (153)
6.5 (304)
6.5 (212)
7.0 (96)
NS

Non-fiction books

6.4 (747)
6.8 (147)
6.4 (296)
6.3 (206)
6.1 (93)
.04

Movies and television programs about the past

5.0 (783)
4.8 (153)
5.0 (306)
4.9 (212)
5.2 (107)
NS

 

 

 

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