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The information landscape facing Americans is more confusing than ever. AI-generated campaign ads are on the rise. Online social media influencers are being given secret government jobs, without telling their followers about the arrangement. Trust in the media to cover campaigns continues to decline. Amidst all this chaos, Americans still have to get their news from somewhere. In today’s Trendline, we’re examining where Americans get their information, which institutions they do (or don’t) trust, and what might be done to confront the steadily rising distrust in almost every aspect of American society.
Trust in Media
Americans don’t really seem to trust anybody nowadays, according to a poll from AP-NORC/USAFacts (July 29 - Aug. 10, 2026), but traditional media still ranks higher than other sources. When asked how much they trusted a variety of sources of information, like national or local newspapers, the federal or state governments, social media, and more, none were trusted a great deal or quite a bit by more than 27 percent of respondents. That 27 percent was for “public TV or radio such as PBS or NPR,” followed by local TV news and national TV news (both 22 percent). While higher than other sources of information, that’s still a pretty abysmal rating for traditional media.
But viewed from another perspective, things really may not be so dire. A significant number of respondents in the survey said they had a moderate amount of trust in most mainstream news sources: A majority had at least a moderate amount of trust in public tv or radio, local news, national news, national newspapers, local newspapers, and state government. And the poll also contained clues for how journalists can improve trust in their work. Sixty percent of respondents said they are extremely or very likely to consider information factual if it’s based on data, 49 percent said the same if it has been verified by scientists, and 39 percent said so if it’s either verified by an academic institution or comes from a nonpartisan source.
Trust in the Federal Government
Trust in the federal government, however, is an entirely different issue. Trust has fallen across each of the 11 categories of information asked about in the survey since the previous poll in 2024, and outright majorities in eight categories said they currently trust the federal government only a little or not at all to provide factual information.
This distrust echoes findings from other surveys, too. An SSRS poll (Mar. 19 - 22, 2026) found that the share of Americans who tend to trust federal statistics declined from 53 percent in 2025 to 47 percent in 2026, with the greatest distrust coming from political independents, 60 percent of whom said they tend not to trust federal statistics. At the same time, however, significant majorities agree that federal statistics are important: 70 percent said public officials need them to make good decisions, and 68 percent said they are important for understanding society.
The reasons for all this distrust may not be rooted in a belief that the government is lying, though. In an Echelon Insights poll (Dec. 11 - 15, 2025), 47 percent of respondents said they did not trust the government’s economic statistics, while 28 percent said they did and 24 percent were unsure. But when asked why they didn’t trust the government, 60 percent said it was because they didn’t think the numbers accurately measure the experiences of real people, while only 35 percent of distrusters said that government data was being intentionally faked or manipulated.
Trust in AI
While trust in information from the media and government has been steadily declining, the same cannot be said of information from artificial intelligence: When asked in the AP-NORC/USAFacts poll how often information provided by AI chatbots was based on factual information, the share who said always or often rose from 8 percent in 2024 to 16 percent in 2026, and the number who said rarely or never fell from 51 to 41 percent. There was a similar improvement in views of AI-assisted search, including AI overviews on search results.
And despite the fact that most still don’t trust it, searching for information is actually the most common use of AI, according to Pew Research (Feb. 17 - 23, 2026). Forty-two percent of Americans said they use chatbots to search for information, and 60 percent said they read AI summaries at the top of a search engine result. But while people may be using these tools to search for information, they don’t necessarily rely on them exclusively. Just 2 percent in a recent Gallup poll (May 4 - 17, 2026) said they use AI chatbots as one of their top three sources of news.
The rising trust in AI doesn’t seem to be extending to its use in the newsroom, though. Asked in the Gallup poll how a news organization could increase trust in AI-assisted content, 39 percent of Americans did not select an option, saying that their trust would be reduced no matter what. Thirty-one percent said their trust would increase if a human reported or verified the information, and 22 percent said it would increase trust if they could verify the information with a different source.
Trust in Elections and Campaigns
And when it comes to the swiftly approaching midterms, Americans are struggling to discern fact from fiction. According to AP-NORC/USAFacts, just 30 percent said it is easy to know if information about the upcoming election is true or not, while 37 percent said it’s difficult. (Another 31 percent said it is neither easy nor difficult.) As for information from candidates themselves, the situation is even worse: 25 percent said it’s easy to know if what candidates are saying is true, while 43 percent said it’s difficult, and 30 percent said it is neither easy nor difficult. Asked how they would verify information about the midterms, 37 percent said they would use an internet search; no other method of fact-checking had more than 8 percent.
While some Americans don’t trust them for other kinds of information, traditional media sources are still highly rated when it comes to information about the outcome of the midterms. Over 60 percent of Americans said they trusted national and local newspapers and TV stations to provide accurate information about election outcomes at least a moderate amount. The least trusted sources were President Donald Trump, AI-powered search, and social media. But the most trusted source of all remains official government certifications of elections: 67 percent of Americans trust local and state governments to accurately report election outcomes.
All together, while Americans’ trust in institutions across the board is suffering, there are still some signs ahead of the elections that voters will be able to access and trust the information they need to stay informed. Majorities still have at least moderate trust in traditional media institutions, even if they are wary of information from the federal government. And while AI use is on the rise, most Americans are still skeptical of its veracity, and are more likely to turn to a traditional web search to fact check information. We’re in for a torrent of political news over the next two months, but despite their pessimistic outlooks, Americans still appear reasonably well-situated to sort through what is and is not true.
Other polling nuggets
Only 10 percent of respondents in the latest Ipsos poll (Aug. 21 - 23, 2026) said they plan to do something to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11 today, while 59 percent said they have no plans and 30 percent weren’t quite sure yet. Of those who said they had plans, most involved participating in a moment of silence or displaying an American flag, while around a fifth said they would visit a memorial or volunteer somewhere. Regardless of how they mark the occasion, most Americans were deeply affected by the tragedy, with 75 percent saying they remember where they were when they first heard the news, and a plurality (47 percent) ranking it as the most important historic event of their lifetime. An increasing number of Americans have no memories of the event at all, though — 11 percent in the poll said they weren’t born yet when 9/11 happened, and 13 percent said they do not remember where they were when they heard about the attacks.
Following the FIFA World Cup this summer, more Americans than ever before say that soccer is their favorite sport to watch, according to the latest polling from Gallup (Aug. 3 - 24, 2026). “More than ever before” is still only 9 percent, though, as football (the American kind, of course) remains on top, with a wide plurality of 31 percent saying it’s their favorite sport to watch. That’s a drop of 10 percent from the last time the question was asked in December 2023, but Gallup attributes some of the movement to whether or not the poll was conducted during the football season, when fans are most tuned in. But it’s also true that younger Americans are less interested in football than their older counterparts, with just 20 percent of those aged 18-34 rating it their favorite sport, compared to 38 percent of Americans aged 55 and older. Instead, younger Americans are more likely to favor less-popular sports like hockey and mixed martial arts, or say they don’t have a favorite sport at all.
Republicans held an uncommon midterm convention this week, in an attempt to gin up enthusiasm and support for their candidates as the party faces dismal polling numbers across the board. It’s too early to know for certain what effect the convention may have had on Americans’ enthusiasm or vote choice, but don’t hold your breath: In a new RMG Research/Napolitan News Service survey (Sept. 8 - 9, 2026), only 11 percent of Americans even knew there was a GOP convention being held this week, and only 6 percent said they planned to watch any of it. Many of the biggest headlines from the convention may not do much to sway public opinion anyway — GOP leaders spent much of their time attacking Democrats as “communists” and “socialists,” but according to a new Quinnipiac University poll (Sept. 3 - 6, 2026), more Americans said they’re less likely to vote for a candidate who identifies as a MAGA supporter (51 percent) than one who identifies as a Democratic Socialist (43 percent). And while Trump promised Americans a $5,000 check if Republicans keep control of Congress in November, Americans are skeptical: In a YouGov poll from today (Sept. 11, 2026), just 35 percent of Americans support Trump’s plan, while 45 percent are opposed.
The margarita reigns supreme: Among the 58 percent of Americans who identify as cocktail drinkers in YouGov’s newest polling (Sept. 3 - 7, 2026), a plurality rated the best-selling cocktail in America as their favorite drink, followed by a rum and coke and a piña colada. Despite the margarita’s dominance, a plurality of 28 percent said vodka was their preferred liquor to include in cocktails, while 17 percent said tequila, and whiskey and rum tied for third at 14 percent. At the bottom of the list of favorite drinks was the negroni (Mary’s preferred drink!), with less than a percent of cocktail drinkers ranking it as their favorite. As for Cooper, he prefers an amaretto sour, but alas, only 1 percent of respondents seem to agree with him.
Polling averages update
All numbers are as of 1:00 PM Eastern on Sept. 11, 2026.
2026 U.S. House generic ballot
The Democratic margin in the 2026 U.S. House generic ballot remained stable this week, with Democrats still ahead of Republicans by 6 percentage points. Currently, 49.9 percent of likely voters indicate that they plan to vote for a Democrat in November, while 43.5 percent plan to vote for a Republican.
Trump’s job approval
President Trump’s net approval rating among U.S. adults declined by 2 points this week. Overall, 60.4 percent of Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance, while just 35.7 percent approve, for a net approval rating of -25 percentage points.
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