Americans’ Trust in Mass Media Plummets to Record Low
For the third year in a row, Americans’ confidence in the mass media has dropped to a record low, according to a new Gallup survey. Once considered a cornerstone of democracy, the media has now sunk to the bottom of civic trust, trailing even Congress in the eyes of the public.
Startling Decline
Only 28% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of trust in mass media today, compared to 68% in 1972, the first year Gallup asked the question. The long slide reflects both political polarization and a broader erosion of confidence in institutions, but media distrust has outpaced nearly every other sector.
Partisan Breakdown
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Republicans: Just 8% report trust in mass media, with 62% saying they have “no trust at all” — a number that has more than doubled since 2015.
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Democrats: Trust has fallen 19 points in three years, down to 51%, the lowest level Gallup has ever recorded for the left.
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Independents: At 27%, they’ve been consistently skeptical, reporting little movement but still sitting near historic lows.
The partisan gap that exploded after Donald Trump’s 2016 election — when Republicans’ distrust reached unprecedented levels — has now narrowed. Not because trust is recovering on the right, but because it has collapsed among Democrats as well.
Generational Divide
Young Americans are especially skeptical. Less than 30% of adults aged 18–29 or 30–49 say they have trust in the media. In contrast, 43% of Americans 65 and older still say they trust mass media, suggesting older generations remain more aligned with traditional news outlets.
Why It Matters
Before George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004, a majority of Americans — across party lines — consistently reported trust in mass media. That era is gone. In today’s environment, where information is more abundant yet more contested than ever, the fact that fewer than 3 in 10 Americans trust the media represents a legitimacy crisis.
The collapse of confidence raises questions about journalism’s future role. With media ranked as the least-trusted civic institution Gallup measures, public skepticism is now the default.
The Big Picture
Americans increasingly believe the media is not an impartial arbiter of truth but a partisan player, shaping narratives rather than reporting facts. Whether one blames sensationalism, ideological bias, or the rise of alternative platforms, the result is clear: trust in mass media has reached historic lows, and there is little indication of a turnaround.
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