American Trust In Mass Media Plummets To New Low Of 28%
American confidence in the mass media has reached a historic low, with only 28% of U.S. adults expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.”
This latest figure, from a recent Gallup poll conducted from Sept. 2 to 16, marks the first time the measure has dipped below 30%, continuing a steady decline from 31% last year and 40% five years ago.
Meanwhile, a staggering seven in 10 Americans now say they have “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%) in news reporting.
A Steep Decline from Decades Past
When Gallup first began tracking media trust in the 1970s, confidence levels were significantly higher, ranging from 68% to 72%. However, public faith began to erode substantially, falling to 53% by 1997 and continuing a downward trend that has seen it fail to reach a majority level since 2004. The current 28% reading underscores the massive shift in public perception over the last half-century.
Partisan Trust Hits Record Lows
The erosion of trust is evident across the political spectrum, with all major party groups now reporting all-time lows in confidence.
- Republicans: Confidence in the media among Republicans has plummeted to a devastating 8%, hitting single digits for the first time in the trend. Republican trust has not risen above 21% since 2015.
- Independents: Trust among independents is also at a historical low of 27%, matching last year’s figure, and has not reached a majority level since 2003.
- Democrats: Even among Democrats, who traditionally have the highest trust levels, only a slim majority of 51% now express confidence. This repeats a low previously recorded in 2016.
Significant Generational Gaps Emerge
Analysis of combined data from 2023-2025 reveals a growing generational divide in media confidence, with older Americans maintaining significantly more faith than their younger counterparts.
- Older Adults: 43% of adults aged 65 and older trust the media.
- Younger Adults: This contrasts sharply with younger age groups, where no more than 28% in any age bracket express trust.
While confidence has declined for all ages since the early 2000s, the drop has been less severe among those aged 65 and older.
Further compounding this trend is the observation that younger Democrats (38% of those aged 18-29 and 42% of those aged 30-49) show relatively low confidence compared to their older Democratic counterparts. Given these shifting demographics, the article suggests that overall media trust could face further decreases in the coming years unless confidence rebounds, particularly among Republicans.
News organizations now face a monumental challenge: not only to deliver accurate and fair reporting but also to rebuild credibility across a public that is increasingly polarized and skeptical.
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