Young Adults and the Future of News
The ways Americans get news and information have transformed dramatically in the 21st century. The news habits of the youngest adults reflect this shift – and may offer some insight into what the future holds.
Digital News Landscape
News Influencers Fact Sheet
About one-in-five U.S. adults say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, and this is especially common among younger adults.
How Americans’ trust in information from news organizations and social media sites has changed over time
Overall, 56% of U.S. adults now say they have a lot of or some trust in the information they get from national news organizations – down 11 percentage points since March 2025.
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Digital News Landscape
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News Platform Fact Sheet
How Americans get news continues to evolve as platforms emerge, like AI chatbots and email newsletters. Find out how often they get news from digital devices.
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Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls
Among adults who have not paid for news in the past year, the most common reason they cite is that they can find plenty of other news articles for free.
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What Is News?
As people are exposed to more information from more sources than ever before, how they define and feel about “news” has become less clear-cut.
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A closer look at Americans’ experiences with news on TikTok
Many TikTok accounts mix in news with a variety of other topics, from celebrity gossip to jokes and memes.
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Introducing the Pew-Knight Initiative
The Pew-Knight Initiative will deliver a comprehensive, real-time look at the information landscape from the standpoints of both consumers and producers of news.
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Many Americans find value in getting news on social media, but concerns about inaccuracy have risen
Four-in-ten Americans who get news from social media say inaccuracy is the thing they dislike most about it – an increase of 9 percentage points since 2018.
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A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S.
True crime is the most common topic, making up 24% of top-ranked podcasts; 15% of the top podcasts focus on news. The next most common topics are politics and government (10%); entertainment, pop culture and the arts (9%); and self-help and relationships (8%).
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Most U.S. journalists are concerned about press freedoms
57% of U.S. journalists surveyed say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms in the country.
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Nearly a quarter of Americans get news from podcasts
The share of Americans who say they often get news from a podcast is quite small, at just 7%; 16% of adults say they sometimes do.
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U.S. newsroom employment has fallen 26% since 2008
While newspapers have seen steep job losses from 2008 to 2020, digital-native news organizations have seen considerable gains.
