Insights
Key findings, reports, and analysis from the Civic Information Needs Census (CINC).
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Americans report major gaps in local information
On many topics critical to overall civic health, there are double-digit gaps between the importance Americans place in having local information and their satisfaction with what's available.
Importance: How important is it to you to stay informed about each of the following in your day-to-day life?
Satisfaction: When you seek out news and information about each of the following topics, how satisfied or unsatisfied are you with the information you are able to get?
The Proximity Paradox: it's harder to stay informed about your neighborhood than about another country
Americans report that it is easier to get information about things that are farther away. 44% say it's difficult to get information about what's happening in their neighborhood, compared to 27-30% for what's happening nationally or around the world.
% who say it is somewhat or very difficult to get information
How difficult is it for you to get information about each of the following in your day-to-day life?
Urban centers have larger information gaps for transportation
Residents of New York City and Chicago consider transportation info far more important (83-90%) than the national average (56%), but their satisfaction is similar (64%-65%), creating significant negative gaps in cities vs a positive gap nationally.
Importance: How important is it for you to get information about each of the following topics in your everyday life?
Satisfaction: When you seek out news and information about each of the following topics, how satisfied or unsatisfied are you with the information you are able to get?
Parents have the highest information gaps for education
Education is not in the top 5 topical information gaps for the overall population, but for parents, it is by far the number one topic.
Importance: How important is it for you to get information about each of the following topics in your everyday life?
Satisfaction: When you seek out news and information about each of the following topics, how satisfied or unsatisfied are you with the information you are able to get?
Trump and Harris 2024 voters alike report major local information gaps
Trump and Harris 2024 voters both report significant unmet information needs across nearly all topics.
Gap: Satisfaction − Importance. Importance: % who say a topic is important. Satisfaction: % satisfied with ability to get information on topic.
Importance: How important is it for you to get information about each of the following topics in your everyday life?
Satisfaction: When you seek out news and information about each of the following topics, how satisfied or unsatisfied are you with the information you are able to get?
Reports & Coverage
Study Reveals Americans Find It Harder to Get News About Their Neighborhood Than About the World
CINC launches partner program to catalyze local information needs measurement in communities around the country.
6 Takeaways from a New Report on the Local Information Needs of New Yorkers
New York City shows the largest information gaps of any survey conducted, with residents particularly underserved on education, housing, and public safety information.
What New Yorkers Want from Education News
Chalkbeat examines what the CINC NYC survey reveals about New Yorkers' education information needs and preferences.
6 Big Takeaways on America's Local Information Needs
Key findings from our national survey of over 2,000 Americans reveal significant gaps between how important local information is and how satisfied people are getting it.
5 Takeaways from a New Report on Chicago's Information Needs
Chicago residents report larger unmet information needs than the national average on every topic surveyed, with transportation and education gaps standing out.
To Promote Civic Information, We Need to Measure It
Kang-Xing Jin argues that healthy media ecosystems depend on understanding community information needs, and introduces the Civic Information Needs Census as a survey-based measurement approach.
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Access the full datasets, methodology documents, and survey instruments.
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