Pew Research Center: Americans are following the news less closely than they used to

The share of Americans who say they follow the news all or most of the time has decreased since 2016, according to nearly a decade’s worth of Pew Research Center surveys. This shift comes amid changes in the platforms people use for news and declining trust in news organizations.

As of August 2025, 36% of U.S. adults say they follow the news all or most of the time. That is down from 51% in 2016, the first time we asked this question.

In turn, growing shares of Americans say they follow the news less closely:

• 38% now say they follow it some of the time, up from 31% in 2016.
• 18% say they follow it only now and then, compared with 12% in 2016.

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