Gen Z, millennials and Republicans drive trust in media to the lowest ever recorded, a shocking collapse of 40 percentage points since 1972
The confidence of the Americans in the media has decreased to its lowest level ever, according to the latest opinion poll, as 28 % of adults express “a lot” or “fair quantity” of confidence in newspapers, television and radio to report the news in full, accurate and average. This number represents a sharp decrease from the lowest historical level in the past year by 31 %, and continues after about five decades of the highest level of 68 % registered in 1972. Just five years ago, it was 40 %.
Gallup data, collected in September 2025, shows that doubts about the media now exceed all ages and political lines, with confidence levels for each demographic at their lowest levels. About 70 % of the United States adults have a “not much” confidence (36 %) or “nothing at all” (34 %) in media organizations, indicating a crisis in legitimacy and the importance of the fourth real estate in the country.
Gallup notes that Trust Media remained slightly higher than 50 % to decrease to 44 % in 2004, and the majority has not been declined since then. The polling service says that confidence has collapsed significantly during the 2016 arbitrary presidential campaign, with the reading in the past decade increased by 45 % in 2018. This year’s reading is the first time that less than 30 % decrease.
Party gaps and generations
Confidence in the media is particularly low among Republicans, with only 8 % of confidence in news outlets-where Gallup has first recorded in this group. (Republicans do not trust in particular, and do not exceed 21 % since 2015.) Among Democrats, Media Trust reached 51 %, and has decreased sharply from its peak of 76 % in 2018, and corresponds to the bottom of 2016. Independents are registered by only 27 %, and corresponds to the lowest historical level last year.
Generations ’divisions as well. While 43 % of the ages of 65 or older are confident in the media, younger adults-Gen. Z and Millennial Coetors, or those between the ages of 18-29 and 30-49-determining the lowest historical levels, with less than 30 % express their confidence in the news. In fact, the level of confidence in the Gen Z is 28 % exceeded by the millennial generation, with only 23 % of confidence in what they see, hear and read. Also, confidence in the media between the ages of 50 and 64 is 28 %. Gallup finds that the same pattern of Democrats is relatively confidence and Republicans who are incredibly confident, with the least trusted dirt they are the millennium Republicans, Galoub finds: only 6 %.
We look forward, Gallup is pessimistic about recovery. “Given the relatively low confidence in the media in the media, comprehensive confidence can decrease more in the future, unless Republicans are righteous confidence. With broken confidence along the partisan lines and generations, the challenge facing news organizations not only to provide fair and accurate reports but also to restore credibility via increased polarity and its government science,” says the polling company.
[This article has been updated to correct the headline to a collapse of 40 percentage points since 1972.]
2025-10-02 20:04:00
