Media Trust CRASHES Below Government

For the first time in recent polling, Americans now trust the media even less than the federal government—and both are scraping the bottom.

Quick Take

Gallup measured confidence in the media at 28% in September 2025, the first sub-30% reading in its trend.
OECD-based cross-country data puts U.S. trust in government at about 30.93% in 2026, also near historic lows.
Republicans’ confidence in the media fell to 8%, highlighting a massive partisan credibility gap that shapes how Americans interpret basic facts.
Pew found Americans still trust local news more than national outlets, but both slid sharply during 2025.

Media trust hits 28% as skepticism becomes the default

Gallup’s September 2–16, 2025 survey found overall confidence in the mass media at 28%—down from 31% in 2024 and 40% in 2020—continuing a long decline from the 68–72% range Gallup recorded in the 1970s. The same work shows seven in 10 Americans report “not very much” or “none at all” confidence. The numbers describe a country where national narratives struggle to persuade even before policy fights begin.

Gallup’s partisan breakdown explains why the debate feels so disconnected: Republicans’ confidence fell to 8%, while Democrats registered 51% and independents 27%. That gap is not a minor difference in taste; it is a structural split in what each side considers credible. The data also suggests age matters: adults 65+ show higher trust than younger adults, who sit at 28% or less, reflecting how newer generations consume information.

Government trust sits near 31%—and the legitimacy problem remains

Internationally compiled OECD-based figures place U.S. trust in government at 30.93% in 2026, down from roughly 46.5% in 2020. That drop tracks with broader research showing declining confidence in national leaders over the past five years. While different surveys measure trust differently, the direction is consistent: fewer Americans accept institutional claims at face value, whether those claims come from agencies, elected officials, or the large organizations that cover them.

That matters because low trust changes how people respond to everything from economic messaging to public safety communications. In a constitutional republic, legitimacy depends on consent, and consent depends on believable information. When Washington’s credibility erodes, administrations—now including President Trump’s second-term team—inherit a system where many voters assume incompetence or agenda first. The available research doesn’t assign motives, but it does show the credibility deficit is real and measurable.

Local news still beats national news, but both slid fast in 2025

Pew Research found that trust in information from local news outlets remained higher than trust in national news, with October 2025 readings at 70% for local news and 56% for national news. The warning sign is speed: those figures fell from 80% local and 67% national in March 2025. Even when measurement questions differ from Gallup’s “fully, accurately and fairly” framing, the trend indicates Americans are pulling trust inward—toward proximity and accountability.

Trust migrates to personal networks, fragmenting America’s shared reality

The Edelman Trust Barometer’s 2026 findings describe trust shifting away from big institutions and toward personal networks—family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers—with confidence in national government leaders dropping over a five-year span while interpersonal trust measures rise. The practical effect is fragmentation: people validate claims inside smaller circles rather than through a common set of referees. For voters who watched years of cultural activism, spending fights, and border disputes, the data helps explain why “official” answers now land with a thud.

Do People Trust The Media Or Government More? https://t.co/sjJOGZK1VR

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 10, 2026

Social media does not fully replace legacy gatekeepers either. Pew reported trust in information from social media remains low, sitting at 37% among both Republicans and Democrats, even as usage stays high. That puts Americans in a squeezed position: they distrust large newsrooms, distrust Washington, and also distrust the platforms where stories spread fastest. The research doesn’t prove a single fix, but it underscores a reality policymakers must face—rebuilding trust requires visible accuracy and accountability, not slogans.