Trust in the media sinks to lowest level in more than 50 years

Americans' trust in the media is at an all-time low. A Gallup poll indicates that citizens have less and less confidence in the press, registering the lowest rating in more than 50 years. The situation is drastic, as a plurality (36%) of respondents claimed to have "no trust at all" in traditional platforms. Also, there were more respondents (33%) who "don't trust [the media] very much" than those who do "a lot" or "quite a lot," which is not even one in three voters combined (31%).

The pollster's first paragraph explaining the survey could not be more illuminating about the desolate perception that voters hold of the media with respect to 1970, when it began to ask about the valuation of the fourth estate. Then, most participants responded positively to the question:

"When Gallup began tracking Americans’ views of the news media in the early 1970s, attitudes were overwhelmingly positive, but public confidence in the Fourth Estate has collapsed over the past three decades. President Donald Trump’s press secretary recently cited these data as a reason behind the administration’s decision to reserve a seat at White House press briefings for nontraditional 'new media,' such as 'podcasts, blogs, social media and other independent outlets.'"

A progressive decline to the current collapse

According to figures recorded by Gallup, about two-thirds of Americans in the 1970s trusted "a great deal" or "quite a lot" that "the mass media, such as newspapers, television and radio, reported the news fully, accurately and fairly." By the next measurement, in 1997, confidence had fallen to 53%.

This trend has continued downward until reaching today's dramatic situation. At present, barely 31% trust the media "a lot" or "quite a lot," while 33% say they "don't [trust] very much." What's worse is that the largest group, 36%, "don't trust [traditional media] at all."

Republicans and young people are the most skeptical

This figure soars to 59% among Republican voters. This position rose 21 points between 2015 and 2017, coinciding with the rise of Donald Trump in the field of politics. In 2020, conservative distrust broke the 50% barrier for the first time and has never since fallen below this threshold. Distrust among independents reached 42%, while only 6% of Democrats radically distrust the media.

Things are not looking good for the future of the mainstream media either. Distrust is notably higher among those younger than 50. According to Gallup, older Americans (over 65) are the most trusting (43%), compared to those under 50, of whom barely 26% trust the media, a 17-point difference. As if that were not enough, young Democrats also mostly distrust the traditional media.