# Most Americans want advice from people who've actually been through it

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/culture/most-americans-want-advice-from-people-whove-actually-been-through-it/

> Indexed question in Culture.

## Reading

Experiential knowledge, or truth learned from living through something rather than from reasoning or secondhand information, carries real weight when Americans seek advice: 56% say it matters significantly, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey.

Another 32% say it matters somewhat and 6% call it the only thing that matters, while just 3% say it rarely matters and 3% not at all.

## Topline

How much does experiential knowledge matter when seeking advice from someone? Experiential knowledge is “truth learned from personal experience with a phenomenon rather than truth acquired by discursive reasoning, observation, or reflection on information provided by others.”

Most Americans want advice from people who've actually been through it.

- It matters significantly: 56.0%
- It matters somewhat: 31.6%
- It's the only thing that matters: 5.8%
- It rarely matters: 3.4%
- Not at all: 3.3%

## 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: 2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
- Base (unweighted): 474
- Margin of error: +/- 4.8%
- Module: identity
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26#q-3.3](https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26#q-3.3)

## Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=474 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.8%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26#q-3.3](https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26#q-3.3)