In an era of declining trust in news organizations and heightened concerns about false information online, “doing your own research” has become a common step Americans take. Nearly all Americans (94%) – including similar shares of Republicans and Democrats – say it is at least somewhat important for people to do their own research to check the accuracy of the news they get. About two-thirds say this is extremely or very important (66%).
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Extremely important | Very important | Somewhat important | Not too/Not at all important | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 24% | 41% | 29% | 5% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
But while the phrase may seem simple on the surface, Americans mean many different things when they use it. And in some political and cultural contexts – especially around topics like vaccines and health guidelines – the phrase can also mean actively questioning what major news organizations or official sources say.
Focus group discussions underscored this complexity. As one man in his 40s explained, “I’ve never liked the term ‘do your own research’ because … it assumes someone knows how to research, someone knows how to evaluate sources, someone knows how to challenge their own biases and preconceived notions of what is truth or not. And that’s not easy. It’s not simple.”
These findings are based on a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults aimed at understanding how Americans are thinking about and experiencing news today. Read key findings from the full study.
How often do Americans ‘do their own research’ about the news?
A large majority of U.S. adults (82%) say they at least sometimes “do their own research” to check the accuracy of a news story. This includes 37% who say they do this extremely or very often.
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Extremely/Very often | Sometimes | Rarely/Never | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All U.S. adults | 37% | 44% | 18% |
| Rep/Lean Rep | 39% | 43% | 17% |
| Dem/Lean Dem | 37% | 46% | 17% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
These figures are similar for both Republicans and Democrats, including independents who lean toward each party. However, supporters of the two parties differ modestly in what counts to them as “doing your own research” (details below).
There are also some differences across demographic groups, although majorities across all groups say they do their own research:
- Older adults (ages 65 and older) are less likely than younger groups to say they at least sometimes do their own research.
- Adults with a high school diploma or less education are also less likely to say they at least sometimes do their own research.
What does ‘doing your own research’ mean to Americans?
While the vast majority of Americans say they at least sometimes “do their own research,” there is no single definition of what this means.
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Yes | No | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussing it with friends or family | 38% | 48% | 12% |
| Looking for firsthand experiences or personal stories | 63% | 22% | 15% |
| Questioning what official or governmental sources say | 68% | 18% | 14% |
| Questioning what major news organizations are reporting | 70% | 17% | 12% |
| Searching on Google or another search engine | 72% | 15% | 12% |
| Looking at scientific studies | 77% | 11% | 12% |
| Comparing information from different sources | 84% | 7% | 8% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
Americans associate a wide range of information-gathering practices with the idea of doing their own research. But it is also commonly linked with the idea of questioning mainstream sources like news organizations or government sources.
More Americans say they think of comparing information from different sources (84%) as “doing your own research” than any of the other options we asked about in the survey.
Many focus group participants cited this idea, both as how they define “doing your own research” and as a broader approach they use to check the accuracy of news and information. As one man in his 30s said, “Cross-verify information. Go online and look at other sources for it. See if that actually exists or choose to learn more about something, just digging into the history of it, just doing your own research. I don’t know, it’s in the title; isn’t it?”
Most U.S. adults also say they think of looking at scientific studies (77%) and searching on Google or other search engines (72%) as “doing your own research.” And about seven-in-ten say the same about questioning what major news organizations (70%) or official or governmental sources (68%) say.
A majority of Americans (63%) also say that looking for firsthand experiences and personal stories is something they think of when they hear about someone “doing their own research.”
“I like to go for original sources,” a man in his 60s said. “The ones that were really there.”
Fewer Americans (38%) think that discussions with friends or family count as “doing your own research,” with about half (48%) saying they do not make this association.
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Conservative Rep/Lean Rep | Moderate/Liberal Rep/Lean Rep | Conservative/Moderate Dem/Lean Dem | Liberal Dem/Lean Dem | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparing info from different sources | 89% | 83% | 82% | 87% |
| Looking at scientific studies | 78% | 75% | 76% | 83% |
| Searching on Google/ another search engine | 72% | 76% | 74% | 72% |
| Questioning what major news orgs say | 78% | 68% | 68% | 67% |
| Questioning what official sources say | 74% | 68% | 66% | 67% |
| Looking for firsthand experiences or personal stories | 71% | 66% | 61% | 54% |
| Discussing it with friends or family | 44% | 42% | 38% | 30% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
Political differences also emerge. Republicans and Democrats are about equally likely to say comparing information from different sources, reading scientific studies or searching on Google qualifies as “doing your own research.” But Republicans are somewhat more likely than Democrats to say several practices count.
Republicans who identify as politically conservative are especially likely to see questioning what major news organizations or official sources say as “doing your own research,” even compared with Republicans who identify as moderate or liberal.
Meanwhile, party differences in perceptions of looking for firsthand accounts or personal stories or discussions with friends or family as “doing your own research” are driven by both ends of the ideological spectrum. Democrats who identify as politically liberal are less likely than all other groups to say either of these practices counts as “doing your own research.”
