A new poll by Gallup has revealed that Americans' trust in the media has reached its lowest level in over 50 years. The survey indicates that only 31 percent of Americans have confidence in the media's capacity to report news accurately and fairly. This represents a significant decline compared to previous decades, reflecting growing concerns about media bias and who Americans can trust for accurate information. The findings underscore the increasing skepticism toward traditional news outlets and their ability to serve the public interest.
In 1972, 68 percent of people trusted mass media either greatly or somewhat. By 1974, that number slightly increased to 69 percent, and by 1976, it reached an all-time high, with 72 percent of Americans expressing great trust in the media.
However, by 2000, trust in the media had begun to decline. Only 51 percent of people were confident in the news they heard on television. Four years later, in 2004, that number fell again— just 44 percent of Americans believed in the media.
GALLUP: Americans’ trust in the mass media is at its lowest point in more than five decades. pic.twitter.com/EBwH7h3Nd2
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 27, 2025
The number continued to decline, reaching only 32 percent in 2016. This was the same year as the first presidential election featuring President Donald Trump and the two-time Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who had previously lost.
Meanwhile, trust in the media slightly increased to 45 percent in 2018 but has steadily declined. By 2020, it had dropped to 40 percent, falling further to 36 percent in 2021, 34 percent in 2022, 32 percent in 2023, and 31 percent in 2024, the final year of former President Joe Biden’s term.
The poll pointed out that Republicans specifically have lost total trust in the media.
In 2024, 59 percent of Republicans had no trust at all in the media to report the news ” fully, accurately, and fairly.” This includes newspapers.