{"id":286236,"date":"2026-02-11T06:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=286236"},"modified":"2026-02-11T06:54:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:54:46","slug":"americans-complicated-relationship-with-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2026\/02\/11\/americans-complicated-relationship-with-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans\u2019 Complicated Relationship With News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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(Pew Research Center photo illustration; photos by curly_photo, Justin Sullivan, Alex Kent and Paul Bradbury, all via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Pew Knight Initiative<\/summary>\n
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The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. Learn more ><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This report from the Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a> looks at how Americans think about their role in the news environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why we did this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With information coming at people faster than ever before, and a seemingly endless array of options competing for Americans\u2019 attention and trust, we wanted to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of regular people when it comes to their role in navigating the news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some ways, this is a natural follow-up to our recent studies on what \u201cnews\u201d means to the public today<\/a>, how news habits are changing<\/a> and how Americans view the role of journalists in society<\/a>. With these reports, we have looked at opinions about both sides of the relationship between news producers and news consumers in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a> and our research on news habits and media<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We surveyed 3,560 U.S. adults from Dec. 8 to 14, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a>. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also conducted nine online focus group discussions led by PSB Insights with 45 U.S. adults, held from June 10 to 18, 2025. These discussions do not represent the entire U.S. population. This report shares findings and quotes from the focus groups to help illustrate and add detail to the survey results. Quotes were lightly edited for spelling, punctuation and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the survey questions<\/a> used for this report, the detailed responses<\/a> and the methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a Pew Research Center report from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Americans today describe a complicated relationship with the news. Most say being informed is essential for civic life \u2013 especially voting \u2013 yet many feel overwhelmed, skeptical and selective about how they engage with information, according to a new Pew Research Center study from the Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Majority of Americans say being informed about the news is essential to voting \u2026<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
% of U.S. adults who say Americans __ to be informed about the news when they vote<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 8-14, 2025.\n\u201cAmericans\u2019 Complicated Relationship With News\u201d<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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