Report · AI & Tech

Confidence in journalists on personal platforms is limited

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In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted March 6 to 16, 2026, 51% of Americans said they have at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists who work for their own website or social media account to act in the best interests of the public. Including 43% who said a fair amount and 8% who said a great deal.

About half said they have not too much or no confidence in journalists working on personal platforms (49%), with 35% who said not too much and 14% who said no confidence at all.

Topline

response scale

Topline scale

51% of Americans have at least a fair amount of confidence in journalists on personal platforms.

How much confidence, if any, do you have in journalists who work for their own website/social media account to act in the best interests of the public?

  • A fair amount of confidence 43.4%
  • Not too much confidence 35.0%
  • No confidence at all 14.0%
  • A great deal of confidence 7.7%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.4%

Module 1: Technology, Finance, & Media

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.4%
Module
Module 1: Technology, Finance, & Media

Source

Citation

Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/omnibus-2026-044#q-1-33

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.