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Fewer than a third of Americans trust public polling

Source reportMethodology

Topline

29.0% of U.S. adults trust public polling, combining 26.0% who somewhat trust it and 3.0% who strongly trust it. Distrust totals 33.2% (22.2% somewhat plus 11.0% strongly), and another 33.2% are neutral.

Skepticism about polls does not extend to research participation: 81.4% say they would be likely to help researchers collect or analyze data (43.8% very likely plus 37.6% somewhat likely).

Stacked breakdown

29.0% of adults trust public polling, 33.2% distrust it and 33.2% are neutral.

What is your level of trust in public polling?

Strongly trust
3.0%
Somewhat trust
26.0%
Neutral
33.2%
Somewhat distrust
22.2%
Strongly distrust
11.0%
No opinion
4.6%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052

View source data

Trust sits below a third

29.0% of adults trust public polling (26.0% somewhat plus 3.0% strongly), while 33.2% distrust it (22.2% somewhat plus 11.0% strongly). Another 33.2% are neutral and 4.6% have no opinion.

Strong feelings run one way: 11.0% strongly distrust polls, against 3.0% who strongly trust them.

Topline

81.4% say they would be likely to help researchers collect or analyze data; just 4.5% say they would be unlikely to.

How likely would you be to participate in helping researchers collect or analyze data?

  • Very likely 43.8%
  • Somewhat likely 37.6%
  • Unsure 14.0%
  • Very unlikely 2.5%
  • Somewhat unlikely 2.0%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052

View source data

Willingness to help research runs far higher

81.4% of adults say they would be likely to participate in helping researchers collect or analyze data (43.8% very likely plus 37.6% somewhat). Just 4.5% say they would be unlikely to (2.5% very plus 2.0% somewhat), and 14.0% are unsure.

Respondents are members of a survey panel, a group self-selected for research participation, so stated willingness likely runs higher than in the general public.

The word itself matters

55.2% of adults think of surveys and polls as the same thing. Among those who see a difference, surveys win easily: 27.8% view surveys more positively, versus 3.9% who feel that way about polls.

Another 13.2% are not sure how the two compare.

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Population
US adults age 18+
Field dates
2026-05-21 → 2026-05-26
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052
Sponsor
Verasight
Weight variable
weight
Weighting targets
age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

Sources

[1]

Citation

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052, fielded May 21-26, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.1%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026

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.