Pew Finds News Trust Rising: 62% of Americans Back National Outlets

Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults now express at least some trust in national news organizations, up 6 percentage points from September 2025, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in September and published November 2. Local news scored higher still: 75% of respondents report at least some trust in local outlets, a 5-point rise over the same period.

The gains cut across party lines, a rare point of agreement in a polarized media environment. Both Republicans and Democrats moved toward news organizations, though the partisan gap remains wide.

What moved among partisans?

Republican trust in national news climbed from 44% to 50% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Democratic trust rose more modestly, from 69% to 73% among Democrats and Democratic leaners. That leaves a 23-point gap between the two coalitions on national outlets.

Local news narrows the divide. Republican trust in local organizations rose from 64% to 69%. Democratic trust moved from 78% to 81%. The gap there is 12 points.

Did younger audiences shift too?

Yes, and by the largest margins in the survey. Among adults under 30, trust in national news organizations rose from 51% to 60% — a 9-point gain in a single year. Adults 65 and older moved from 62% to 70%.

Local news posted gains across every age group. Respondents 65 and older increased from 76% to 81%. Adults 18 to 29 rose from 65% to 72%.

Pew framed the shift in careful terms: Americans remain more likely to trust national and local news organizations than they were a year ago, with increases among supporters of both major political parties and across age groups.

What does this change for comms practitioners?

For communicators who pitch journalists or manage brand newsrooms, the numbers offer one firm corrective: the working assumption of universally collapsing media trust needs revision, at least for this cycle. Earned placements in national outlets reach an audience in which nearly two-thirds of adults hold at least some trust, and local placements reach three-quarters.

One caution tempers the headline figure. Pew notes the 62% national-news reading, despite its 6-point climb, still sits lower than trust stood a decade ago. The recovery is real but partial.

The youth numbers carry the sharpest practical signal. A 9-point single-year jump among under-30s suggests the youngest adults are not writing off news brands wholesale, contrary to common industry assumptions. Local outlets, trusted by 72% of that cohort, remain a viable channel for reaching it.

What the data does not say

The survey measured stated trust, not consumption. It did not test whether higher trust translates into larger audiences, more engagement, or better message retention for brands placed in those outlets. Practitioners should treat the figures as a directional indicator of receptivity, not a guarantee of reach.

Pew conducted the survey in September 2026. The results appeared November 2 as a short read on the center's site and were flagged by PRsay on November 5.