Trust in American media has reached an all-time low, with only 32% of Americans saying they trust the mass media to report the news accurately and fairly, according to a new survey from Gallup. This figure ties Gallup’s previous lowest reading in 2016 and marks a further decline from the lows seen in 2021 and 2022. The survey reveals that another 29% of U.S. adults have “not very much” trust, while a record-high 39% have “none at all.” This lack of confidence in the media is the highest on record, surpassing the 2016 reading by 12 points. The survey does not break down media by type, but previous surveys have shown that local news from TV, radio, and newspapers are seen as more trustworthy than national news, cable news, or social media.
The survey, conducted in September, marks just the second time that the percentage of Americans with no confidence in the media has surpassed the percentage with a great deal or fair amount of trust. Trust in the media has been declining since the late 1990s and has not risen above 47% since 2005. The gap in media confidence between Democrats and Republicans has narrowed to 47 points, the narrowest since 2016. Democrats’ trust in the media has fallen 12 points over the past year to 58%, while Republicans’ trust stands at 11%. Overall, Americans’ confidence in the media is at its lowest since 2016 and coincides with low levels of trust in the federal government.
The low confidence in the media comes at a time when confidence in TV news and newspapers is also at historical lows. Gallup’s survey findings suggest that while partisans remain divided in their views of the media, Democrats’ trust has significantly declined this year. However, a majority of Democrats still have confidence in the media, in contrast to few Republicans. The blog post accompanying the survey warns that Democrats’ confidence could deteriorate further and bring overall national confidence down.
