Media trust hits another historic low
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The percentage of Americans who say they have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the mass media has fallen to a record low, according to a new Gallup survey.
Why it matters: Media trust had started to rebound following the 2016 election, but those gains have been wiped out amid growing political partisanship.
The big picture: Media is now the least-trusted civic and political institution surveyed by Gallup.
- More Americans say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in Congress, the Supreme Court, local and state governments, and the executive branch than in the media.
By the numbers: As of this year, only 31% of Americans say they have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the mass media, down from 32% last year, which tied the record low set in 2016.
- At the same time, the percentage of Americans who say they have "not very much" trust in the media has risen from 27% in 2020 to 33% in 2024.
- Prior to 2004, more than half of the American population consistently said they trusted the media.
Yes, but: A smaller percentage in 2024 said they had no trust in the media (36%) compared to last year (39%), offering a glimmer of hope that trust could stabilize one day.
Reality check: The Trump era drove record levels of division between Republicans and Democrats regarding media trust, but that gap is starting to close slightly amid trust declines from Democrats and Independents.
- Trust in media reached a record low this year (27%) among Independents and a near-record low (54%) among Democrats.
- Republicans' trust in media remains significantly lower than other parties but has increased slightly since record lows in 2020.
What to watch: Trust declines in media have been driven largely by younger populations who are more likely to get their news online and from social media.
- Over the past two years, trust in media has hit a record low (26%) among those ages 18-29.
- The age gap has become especially prominent among Democrats, with 31% of Democrats aged 18 to 29 saying they have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the media, versus 74% of those aged 65 and older.
The bottom line: Trust in nearly every U.S. civic and political institution has declined significantly over the past few years, offering a troubling sign for American Democracy.
- In 2024, local and state governments are the only institutions that more than half of U.S. adults say they trust a great deal or a fair amount.
