Trust in news is at a ten-year low, according to latest research from the RISJ
Trust in news is at a ten-year low, dropping globally to 37% of surveyed audiences - with the sharpest declines measured in the Philippines, Ireland, Thailand and Peru.
This is one of the key findings of the latest Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism’s (RISJ) Digital News Report, published today.
The 15th edition of the annual report is based on an online survey of almost 100,000 people in 48 markets – spanning more than half the world’s population - including the UK, US, Italy, Spain, South Korea, India, Thailand, Australia, Brazil, Peru and Kenya.
And the report reveals that trust in news fell in 29 of the 48 markets covered – and that overall it is at its lowest level since the RISJ started measuring it in 2015.
It also finds that the use of AI chatbots for news is growing and that weekly use has increased from 7% to 10% globally, and now represents a key additional way of sourcing news. This rings particularly true for younger age groups.
Other key findings include:
- More people now get news through platforms than from news sites and TV channels. For the first time, social media and video networks are now ahead of news organisations' own websites and apps and TV news at the global level, as the most widely used way of accessing news.
- This shift is not just happening among young people. These changes are happening across all age groups. Fewer people across all ages prefer both television and news sites than they did in 2021, with the only exception being those aged 55 and over.
- The findings also suggest younger audiences are unlikely ever to acquire the news habits of their parents. More than half (56%) of 18-24 year-olds have never regularly read a newspaper.
- News audiences are turning to video platforms. 77% of the report’s global sample consume online news video every week, with a majority now watching online news video in every market covered in the report. But audiences are not consuming more video on news websites or apps but on third-party platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
News audiences deal each day with relentless competition for their attention online.
We shouldn’t be surprised that some choose to disengage, others opt to rely on whatever their feeds bring, and many are unsure what to trust.
But people still believe in what news at its best can be and continue largely to trust news providers they are most familiar with – the mandate for news remains, even as the context of the news and information environment becomes more challenging.
The 2026 report was written by lead author and RISJ Senior Research Associate Jim Egan; RISJ Research Fellows Dr Amy Ross Arguedas and Dr Craig T Robertson; RISJ Senior Research Associate and Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen; Senior Research Associate Nic Newman; and RISJ Director Mitali Mukherjee.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide.
