Most Americans support freedom of information. Almost none have ever used it.

Americans strongly support the right to access government information. Most have never tried to use it — and don’t know much about how.

Those are among the headline findings from a new nationally representative survey released at Sunshine Fest 2026 in Washington, D.C. on March 16. The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project and the Center for Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults on their beliefs, attitudes and experiences with freedom of information.

These are pre-publication findings from a year-long message design and testing initiative. A peer-reviewed version is in development.

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