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A new Pew Research poll shares that Fox News is the top individual news source in a poll conducted in September.
13% of those surveyed said Fox News was their main source of political news. That remained in line with the network’s percentage from the 2021 survey conducted by Pew. The figure jumps to 22% for those surveyed ages 65 and older, while dropping to 5% for those under 30.
CNN was the next closest outlet with 10% claiming it was their primary source. That represents a drop of 4% compared to 2021.
ABC News saw an increase from 4% to 5% in 2024, while NBC News and MSNBC each dropped one percentage point from 4% to 3%. Local TV, The New York Times, and CBS News each remained the same as they did in 2021. Local TV finished at 6%, while The New York Times and CBS News each were at 3%.
NPR, meanwhile, dropped one percentage point from 4% to 3%.
32% of those surveyed said “other” was their top political news source, up from 29% three years ago. 17% did not name a main source.
The overwhelming majority of respondents said their main source of political news was part of the mainstream media. For instance, only 2% of those who called The Times their top political news source said it was not part of the mainstream media. Similar percentage points — like NBC News (3%), ABC News (3%), CBS News (3%), MSNBC (5%), CNN (5%), and Local TV (8%) — were featured by the top vote-getters.
However, 19% of those claiming NPR was their top news source claimed it was not part of the mainstream media. That figure jumped to 28% for Fox News viewers, with only 61% saying it was part of the mainstream media. 11% stated they were not sure if the network fit that bill.
Republicans were much more likely than others to say their top outlets were not mainstream media. Of all U.S. adults surveyed, 24% said their main source of political news was not mainstream. That figure, broken down by political party, showed that 13% of Democrats said their main source wasn’t mainstream, but 36% of Republicans responded similarly.
Nearly 1,000 people participated in the Pew Research survey.
