--- title: "Majority of Americans Say Social Media Companies, News Outlets Have Too Much Power in Politics" description: "About seven-in-ten Americans say social media firms wield too much political power; 55% say so of news outlets, but Republicans and Democrats differ." date: "2026-11-06" authors: - name: "Christopher St. Aubin" job_title: "Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/christopher-st-aubin/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/11/06/majority-of-americans-say-social-media-companies-news-outlets-have-too-much-power-in-politics/" categories: - "News Platforms & Sources" - "Politics & Media" - "Politics Online" - "Social Media & the News" --- # Majority of Americans Say Social Media Companies, News Outlets Have Too Much Power in Politics 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 >**](https://www.pewresearch.org/pew-knight/) About seven-in-ten Americans (69%) say **social media companies** have too much power and influence in politics today. And a smaller majority (55%) say the same about **U.S. news organizations,** according to a recent [Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/09/15/americans-value-press-freedom-but-differ-on-its-limits/) from the [Pew-Knight Initiative](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/pew-knight-initiative/). ### Over half of Americans say social media companies and news organizations are too powerful politically *% of U.S. adults who say each has __ power and influence in politics today* | | Too much | About the right amount of | Not enough | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Social media companies | 69 | 22 | 6 | | U.S. news organizations | 55 | 29 | 14 | Note: Respondents who did not answer are not shown. Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. On the other hand, just 6% say social media companies have *too little* power and influence in politics today, and 14% say the same about news organizations. One way social media companies can exercise political influence is by shaping content on their platforms, which some participants in our focus groups called modern “public squares.” They can do this by actively deciding which posts get taken down or flagged, or more subtly through algorithms. Most Americans who say they regularly get news on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok said in a [2024 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/06/12/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram/pj_2024-06-12_social-media-platforms-news_0-06/) that they think each platform influences the news stories they see there at least somewhat. Even as many Americans say news organizations have too much political influence, there is a widespread sense that journalists’ influence in society is declining. In a 2025 [Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2025/08/20/how-americans-view-journalists-in-the-digital-age/#many-americans-think-journalists-are-losing-influence-in-society), about half of Americans (49%) said that journalists are losing influence in society, compared with 15% who said they are gaining influence. **About this research** This analysis from the [Pew-Knight Initiative](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/pew-knight-initiative/) looks at how Americans think about the role social media companies and news organizations play in U.S. politics. #### Why we did this Pew Research Center has long studied how Americans view the news media and the technology companies that help shape how people find and access news and information. This analysis builds on our past research by looking at social media companies and news organizations side by side. This analysis comes from a larger [Pew-Knight Initiative study](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/09/15/americans-value-press-freedom-but-differ-on-its-limits/) on how Americans view the state of press freedom in the United States. Learn more about [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/) and our [research on news habits and media](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/). #### How we did this We surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults from June 22 to 28, 2026. Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Center’s [American Trends Panel](https://www.pewresearch.org/the-american-trends-panel/). The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Here are our [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/SR_26.10.23_social-media-news_questionnaire.pdf), the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/PJ_26.11.06_TechPower_topline.pdf) and the [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/09/15/press-freedom-methodology/). This is a Pew Research Center analysis 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/](https://www.pewresearch.org/pew-knight/). #### How similar or different are Republicans’ and Democrats’ views? Republicans and Democrats largely agree that social media companies have too much political power. But their views of news organizations’ influence diverge. ### Republicans and Democrats agree that social media companies have too much power, but they differ on news outlets *% of U.S. adults who say __ have too much power and influence in politics today* | | Rep/Lean Rep | Dem/Lean Dem | | --- | --- | --- | | Social media companies | 71 | 69 | | U.S. news organizations | 69 | 43 | Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026. Roughly equal shares of Republicans (71%) and Democrats (69%) say **social media companies** have too much power in politics today. These shares include independents who lean toward each party. While a similar share of Republicans (69%) also say **U.S. news organizations** have too much power in politics, fewer than half of Democrats (43%) express this view. This gap is consistent with other attitudes toward journalists and the news media. For instance, Republicans are much less likely than Democrats to have [confidence in journalists](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/02/11/majority-of-americans-express-low-confidence-in-journalists-to-act-in-publics-best-interests/) to act in the best interests of the public. They’re also less likely to [trust information from national and local news outlets](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/11/02/americans-trust-in-information-from-news-organizations-has-risen-in-the-past-year/). In addition, trust in information from social media is low in both parties. Around six-in-ten Republicans (63%) and Democrats (60%) have little or no trust in information from these platforms. *Note: Here are our [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/10/SR_26.10.23_social-media-news_questionnaire.pdf), the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/11/PJ_26.11.06_TechPower_topline.pdf) and the [methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/09/15/press-freedom-methodology/).*