The landscape of local news in the U.S. has changed significantly in recent decades as Americans have been turning away from print and television and toward digital media. In 2025, 21% of Americans say they follow local news very closely, down from 37% in 2016.
When a breaking news event happens, 36% of U.S. adults say they typically turn first to their preferred news organization to get more information.
The ways Americans get news and information have transformed dramatically in the 21st century. The news habits of the youngest adults reflect this shift – and may offer some insight into what the future holds.
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Three-in-ten U.S. adults say they at least sometimes get news from newsletters, but many don’t read most of the newsletters they get.
Young adults under 30 are getting more news on social media, shaping how information spreads and giving us a possible glimpse into the future of news.
About one-in-five U.S. adults say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, and this is especially common among younger adults.
Overall, 56% of U.S. adults now say they have a lot of or some trust in the information they get from national news organizations – down 11 percentage points since March 2025.
Among adults under 30, 43% say they regularly get news from TikTok, up from 9% in 2020.
Podcasts are playing a bigger role in Americans’ news diets. Around a third of U.S. adults say they get news from podcasts at least sometimes.
Many Americans use social media for news: About a fifth or more regularly get news on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
The share of news influencers in our sample with a Bluesky account roughly doubled in the four months after Election Day 2024, from 21% beforehand to 43% by March.
As people are exposed to more information from more sources than ever before, how they define and feel about “news” has become less clear-cut.
In an open-ended question, we asked U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from news influencers to name the first one who comes to mind for them.
