The researchers conducted an observational study to find correlational evidence for a link between fake news exposure and changes in trust in media or the government. This study consisted of two surveys sent before and after the 2018 midterms. The survey asked participants questions about their level of trust in the mainstream media and each branch of government. Between the two surveys, participants were asked to install a browser extension that periodically recorded their browser history. The extension flagged the researchers when the participant went to certain predetermined fake-news websites. If one of those websites was visited, the participant was considered "exposed" to fake news. A subset of participants agreed to this measure.