A majority of U.S. adults now describe social media as an important way to keep up with news, up from 43% four years ago, according to Pew Research Center.
The Pew-Knight Initiative survey found that 58% consider social media important for getting news, including 13% who call it their most important news source. In 2022, 5% had described it as their most important source.
The findings measure how much value people place on social media for news, rather than simply how often they use it. Pew said those questions offer different ways to understand social media's place in Americans' information habits.
Among adults ages 18 to 29, 76% said social media is an important way to follow news, including 22% who called it the most important way. Among adults 65 and older, 41% described it as important.
Pew said the age gap is consistent with younger adults being more likely to get news through social media and to trust the information they find there. About half of adults younger than 30 report at least some trust in news information from social media sites.
The analysis also noted that the share of Americans who at least sometimes get news on social media has risen in the past year. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have become news destinations for more Americans in recent years.
Pew surveyed 3,488 U.S. adults June 22-28, 2026. Participants were members of its American Trends Panel, a panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. SSRS conducted online and telephone interviews in English and Spanish.
The Wave 195 methodology says the results were weighted to reflect the adult population. The full-sample margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points; that margin does not apply to the smaller age groups.
The research is part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Pew provides the questions, detailed responses and survey methodology with its report.
File illustration of social media.
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