Report · AI & Tech

Most Americans don't know what Substack is

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For most Americans, the question of subscribing to news-and-politics Substacks never gets off the ground: 53% say they do not know what Substack is, according to a March 2026 Verasight survey.

Another 28% say they know what Substack is but do not subscribe to any. Just 15% subscribe to at least one Substack that mostly focuses on news and politics, including 7% who subscribe to more than two, and an additional 4% subscribe to Substacks but none that mostly cover news and politics.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Most Americans don't know what Substack is.

Do you subscribe to any Substacks that mostly focus on news and politics?

  • I do not know what Substack is 53.5%
  • I know what Substack is, but I do not subscribe to any Substacks 27.6%
  • I subscribe to more than two Substacks that mostly focus on news and politics 7.0%
  • I subscribe to two Substacks that mostly focus on news and politics 4.7%
  • I subscribe to Substacks, but not to any that mostly focus on news and politics 3.6%
  • I subscribe to one Substack that mostly focuses on news and politics 3.6%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.4%

Module 1: Technology, Finance, & Media

View source

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/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-1-34

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that 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
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.