Each month Independent Sector collects research with broad sector relevance to share with you. August’s research contains important insights into American citizens’ trust in the media, social and emotional learning, both in the classroom and out of school time, and the overall state of the social sector.
Knight Foundation’s American Views 2020: Trust, Media and Democracy
For the 2020 American Views survey, Gallup and Knight Foundation polled more than 20,000 U.S. adults and found deepening pessimism and further partisan entrenchment about how the news media delivers on its democratic mandate for factual, trustworthy information. Many Americans feel the media’s critical role of informing and holding those in power accountable is compromised by increasing bias.
As a result, Americans have not only lost confidence in the ideal of an objective media, they believe news organizations actively support the partisan divide. At the same time, Americans have not lost sight of the value of news — strong majorities uphold the ideal that the news media is fundamental to a healthy democracy.
- More on the study: American Views 2020: Trust, Media and Democracy
The Wallace Foundation and America’s Promise Alliance: SEL + OST = Perfect Together
Social and emotional skills—the capacity to work productively with a group, manage feelings well, resolve conflicts satisfactorily, and an array of other capabilities—are increasingly recognized as key to success in modern life. Accordingly, efforts to integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) into the classroom and in afterschool, summer, or other out-of-school-time (OST) programs have gotten increasing attention in recent years.
This report is based on a day-long meeting in Chicago in October 2019 that brought together youth development leaders, researchers, and educators to look at two of the field’s biggest challenges: developing the ability of adults to teach social-emotional skills, and communicating the importance of those skills to those who may be unaware of how vital they are.
- More on the study: SEL + OST = Perfect Together
Blackbaud Institute: The State of the Social Sector
In this report, the Blackbaud Institute examines today’s environment against the backdrop of long-term trends and the core practices that have enabled organizations to weather dynamic economic, environmental, political, and social challenges.
- More on the study: The State of the Social Sector
Add Your Voice
The research summaries above are by no means an exhaustive list of the newest information out there to help us better understand the nonprofit landscape. Did we miss a report you think we should know about and share? Let us know by leaving a comment!
