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Trust in the news media has been waning in recent years, and in new data revealed by Gallup, that trust has reached new record lows.
According to the latest results from Gallup, 31% of Americans shared they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust that the news media reports “fully, accurately, and fairly.” That figure is down 1% compared to 2023. For the third consecutive year, more U.S. adults have no trust at all in the news media as 36% responded that way. An additional 33% said they had “not very much” confidence.
Gallup began questioning the public in 1972, and has steadily asked about trust in the media since 1997. In 1972, Nearly 70% of respondents said they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the mainstream media. At the time, just over 5% said they had no trust at all.
Unsurprisingly, trust in mass media is fractured across political affiliations. 54% of Democrats surveyed said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. That represents a 4% drop compared to 2023 and a 22% drop since 2018. Meanwhile, 12% of Republicans responded similarly, which actually is a 1% increase compared to last year’s survey. In 2015, 32% of Republicans surveys said they had a great deal/fair amount of faith in the news media, before steep declines.
Demographics also play a role in the trust, or lack thereof, in the mainstream media. For instance, younger Democrats trust the media far less than older members of the party. 31% of Democrats aged 18 to 29 versus 74% of those aged 65 and older have a great deal or fair amount of confidence.
