Growing Share of Americans Say Social Media Is an Important News Source for Them

(Illustration: narvo vexar via Getty Images) Pew Knight Initiative The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities. Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. Learn more > Social media has become increasingly central to the way Americans get news. A majority of U.S. adults (58%) now say social media is an important way for them to keep up with the news, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative. This includes 13% who say it is the most important way they get news. Majority of Americans now say social media is an important way they get news % of U.S. adults who say social media is __ for them to keep up with the news Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Refer to the topline for dates of other surveys. PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE Majority of Americans now say social media is an important way they get news % of U.S. adults who say social media is __ for them to keep up with the news The most important wayAn important way, but not the most important wayNot an important way2026134542202253956 Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Refer to the topline for dates of other surveys. PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE When we last asked this question in 2022, 43% of Americans said social media was an important way they got news, including 5% who said it was the most important way. The share of Americans who at least sometimes get news from social media also has ticked up within the past year. And specific social media sites or apps, such as TikTok and Instagram, have become news destinations for more Americans over the last few years. About this research This analysis from the Pew-Knight Initiative explores how important Americans think social media is for keeping up with the news. Why we did this For years now, large shares of Americans have said they get news on social media, and younger adults are especially likely to do so. But this is still a relatively new phenomenon, and it is important to study social media’s role in the information environment. Asking about how important social media is for getting news, not just how often people get news there, adds to our understanding of this news source and how its role is changing over time. How we did this We surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Here are our survey questions, the detailed responses and the survey methodology. This is a Pew Research Center report from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at https://www.pewresearch.org/pew-knight/. Younger adults are more likely than older ones to say social media is an important way they get news % of U.S. adults who say social media is __ for them to keep up with the news Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Refer to the topline for dates of other surveys. PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE Younger adults are more likely than older ones to say social media is an important way they get news % of U.S. adults who say social media is __ for them to keep up with the news The most important wayAn important way, but not the most important wayNot an important wayAges 18-2922532430-4913513650-649425065+83358 Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Refer to the topline for dates of other surveys. PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE The youngest adults are most likely to value social media as a news source. Among adults ages 18 to 29, 76% say social media is an important way they keep up with the news, including 22% who say it’s the most important way. In contrast, 41% of those 65 and older say social media is an important part of their news habits. This is in line with the fact that young adults are more likely than older adults to get news from social media at all – and to trust what they see there. About half of adults under age 30 say they have at least some trust in the information they get from social media sites. Note: Here are our survey questions, the detailed responses and the survey methodology. Michael Lipka is an associate director focusing on news and information research at Pew Research Center.