{"id":304312,"date":"2026-05-14T09:57:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=304312"},"modified":"2026-05-14T09:57:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:57:51","slug":"what-americans-think-it-takes-to-be-a-good-news-consumer","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/05\/14\/what-americans-think-it-takes-to-be-a-good-news-consumer\/","title":{"rendered":"What Americans think it takes to be a good news consumer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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(Pew Research Center illustration; SvetaZi\/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

Americans face a variety of challenges as they try to stay informed on news, including concerns about inaccurate news<\/a>, stark political divides in news sources<\/a> and the rise of artificial intelligence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against this backdrop, we asked Americans to describe in their own words what they think it means to be a \u201cgood news consumer.\u201d The wide range of answers we received shows that Americans have many different ways of navigating the modern information landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings, which are part of a Pew Research Center survey<\/a> from the Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a>, also reflect the increased power and responsibility individuals have to decide what news to consume and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This analysis from the Pew-Knight Initiative<\/a> looks at what factors Americans think are important to be a \u201cgood news consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why we did this<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is a follow-up to our recent report<\/a> on how Americans think about their role in the news environment. Information is coming at people faster than ever before, and a seemingly endless array of options is competing for Americans\u2019 attention and trust. So we wanted to learn more about how they navigate the news.<\/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<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a part of a study about Americans\u2019 relationship with the news, we surveyed 3,560 U.S. adults from Dec. 8 to 14, 2025. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a>. The survey reflects the views of the full U.S. adult population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked Americans an open-ended question about what makes someone a \u201cgood news consumer.\u201d We manually sorted the 2,563 responses into categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are our survey questions<\/a>, the detailed responses<\/a> and the methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a Pew Research Center analysis 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 publications online at https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pew-knight\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Being skeptical<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common things Americans associate with being a good news consumer is a sense of skepticism or discernment. One-in-five adults mentioned this in their responses.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Americans commonly say skepticism is part of being a \u2018good news consumer\u2019<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
When asked what it means to be a \u201cgood news consumer,\u201d % of U.S. adults who mentioned \u2026<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Note: We coded people\u2019s open-ended responses into up to three categories each. The 32% of people who didn\u2019t answer are not shown.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Dec. 8-14, 2025.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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