Poll Hub

News Consumers and New Security

Episode Summary

On this week’s Poll Hub: We’re looking at how Americans are getting their news in 2025, and what that means. Our first guest, Will Jordan of Global Strategy Group, joins us to break down new research on the growing divide between active and passive news consumers. With more people encountering news by accident instead of seeking it out, what does this shift mean for staying informed? Then, we turn to the rise of biometric security, Dr. Gideon Christian helps us explore how Americans feel about these technologies, where they support their use, and where major concerns remain. And, for our fun fact, in which season would you choose Thanksgiving to be?

Episode Notes

On this week’s Poll Hub:

We’re digging into how Americans are consuming news in 2025 and what that shift means. Our first guest, Will Jordan from Global Strategy Group, walks us through new findings on the widening gap between active and passive news consumers. As more people stumble across information instead of intentionally searching for it, we ask what this means for staying informed. We also talk about how these habits are shaping trust, fact-checking, and the role algorithms now play in people’s daily news diets.

Then we shift to the growing use of biometric security. Dr. Gideon Christian, University Research Chair in AI and the Law at the University of Calgary, joins us to unpack how Americans view these technologies, when they’re comfortable with their use, and where major concerns still surface. We explore support for biometrics in places like airports and law enforcement, as well as apprehension around workplace use, accuracy issues, and racial bias. Dr. Christian also gives insight into what responsible adoption might look like.

And for our fun fact: Which season would you move Thanksgiving to?