The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. Learn more >
News influencers on social media have become a popular alternative to traditional journalists and news organizations as a source of news for many Americans. This fact sheet looks at Americans’ experiences with news influencers on social media. Explore the patterns and trends below.
The fact sheet is part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Who gets news from news influencers on social media?
About one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, identical to when we first asked this in 2024.
The term news influencers was defined in the survey as “individuals who have a large following on social media and often post about news or political or social issues.”
Younger adults are especially likely to get news from news influencers, with 38% of those ages 18 to 29 saying they regularly do this – more than four times the share of those 65 and older (8%). There is virtually no difference between Republicans and Democrats in the share who say they regularly get news from news influencers (21% and 22%, respectively, including those who lean to each party).
| Year | U.S. adults | Ages 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 21% | 37% | 26% | 15% | 7% |
| 2025 | 21 | 38 | 23 | 16 | 8 |
Among those who say they regularly get news from news influencers, 69% say they mostly happen to come across it, while 31% say they mostly get news from influencers because they’re looking for it.
While younger adults are more likely than older Americans to get news from news influencers, it is not because they are more likely to actively seek it out. Among adults who regularly get news from news influencers, 72% of those under 50 say they mostly do this because they happen to come across it, compared with 60% of Americans ages 50 and older. This matches a broader pattern in which younger adults are more likely to say they get political news because they happen to come across it.
| Group | They’re looking for it | They happen to come across it |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 31% | 69% |
| Ages 18-49 | 28 | 72 |
| 50+ | 40 | 60 |
Reasons for getting news from news influencers
When people who get news from news influencers on social media are asked why they do this, they do not give one dominant reason. Instead, many cite each of the following as major reasons: Influencers help them better understand current events and civic issues (54%), they are quick in reporting on breaking news (54%), they are authentic (49%), and they offer different information from other sources (46%).
| Reasons for getting news from news influencers | Major reason | Minor reason | Not a reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help understanding current events and civic issues | 54% | 34% | 12% |
| Quick reporting on breaking news | 54 | 31 | 15 |
| A feeling of authenticity (news influencers seeming to be their true selves) | 49 | 35 | 16 |
| Different information from other sources | 46 | 37 | 17 |
| Matching opinions or values | 39 | 41 | 20 |
| Entertainment | 37 | 43 | 20 |
| A feeling of connection with news influencers | 23 | 39 | 37 |
Across different age groups, people who regularly get news from news influencers vary in the reasons they give for doing so. For instance, about half of adults ages 50 and older (52%) say that a major reason they get news from news influencers is because these influencers have opinions or values they agree with, higher than the share under 50 who say this (35%). Older adults also are more likely to say they value authenticity (58% vs. 45%).
Meanwhile, younger Americans are more likely than older people to say a major reason they get news from influencers is that they are entertaining (40% vs. 30%).
| Reasons for getting news from news influencers | Ages 18-49 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|
| Help understanding current events and civic issues | 54% | 54% |
| Quick reporting on breaking news | 52 | 58 |
| A feeling of authenticity (news influencers seeming to be their true selves) | 45 | 58 |
| Different information from other sources | 44 | 52 |
| Matching opinions or values | 35 | 52 |
| Entertainment | 40 | 30 |
| A feeling of connection with news influencers | 22 | 26 |
Perceptions of news influencers’ affiliation with news organizations
Among U.S. adults who get news from news influencers, 52% say most of these influencers are independent and not connected to a news organization. Just 10% say most of the influencers they get news from are connected to a news organization, while 17% say it’s about an even mix. Another 21% are uncertain whether the influencers they get news from are independent or connected to a news organization.
A 2024 Pew Research Center study from the Pew-Knight Initiative found that 77% of news influencers in our sample had no current or past affiliation with a news organization.
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Independent and not connected to a news organization | 52% |
| Connected to a news organization | 10 |
| About an even mix | 17 |
| Not sure | 21 |
Demographics of news influencer news consumers
As noted earlier, Americans’ experiences with news influencers differ substantially by age. In addition, Black, Hispanic and Asian adults are slightly more likely than White adults to get news from news influencers. Black adults are more likely than White and Hispanic adults to say they get this news because they happen to come across it.
There are minimal differences on these questions based on political affiliation, gender and education.
Tab Contents
% of U.S. adults in each demographic group who say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 21% |
| Men | 20 |
| Women | 22 |
| Ages 18-29 | 38 |
| 30-49 | 23 |
| 50-64 | 16 |
| 65+ | 8 |
| HS or less | 21 |
| Some college | 23 |
| College+ | 18 |
| White | 17 |
| Black | 28 |
| Hispanic | 28 |
| Asian* | 27 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | 21 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | 22 |
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race. Only respondents who said they get news on social media were asked this question.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.
PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE
Among those who say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, % in each demographic group who say they mostly get news from news influencers because …
| They’re looking for it | They happen to come across it | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | 31% | 69% |
| Men | 33 | 67 |
| Women | 28 | 72 |
| Ages 18-29 | 23 | 77 |
| 30-49 | 32 | 68 |
| 50-64 | 38 | 62 |
| 65+** | 43 | 57 |
| HS or less | 29 | 71 |
| Some college | 31 | 69 |
| College+ | 34 | 66 |
| White | 33 | 67 |
| Black | 19 | 81 |
| Hispanic | 33 | 67 |
| Asian*, ** | 28 | 72 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | 33 | 66 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | 30 | 70 |
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
** Several subgroups had relatively small sample sizes. For Asian adults, there were 133 respondents, an effective sample size (ESS) of 72 and 95% confidence level margin of error of +/- 11.5 percentage points. For adults 65 and older, there were 102 respondents, an ESS of 92 and margin of error of +/- 10.2 points. Those margins of error conservatively assume a reported percentage of 50%.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic; Hispanic adults are of any race. Only respondents who said they get news from news influencers on social media were asked this question.
Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Aug. 18-24, 2025.
PEW-KNIGHT INITIATIVE
Find out more
This fact sheet was compiled by Research Associate Luxuan Wang and Research Analyst Naomi Forman-Katz.
Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.
Follow these links for related research:
- America’s News Influencers (Nov. 18, 2024)
- No consensus on who comes to mind when Americans are asked to name a news influencer (Feb. 19, 2025)
- News Platform Fact Sheet (Sept. 25, 2025)
- Social Media and News Fact Sheet (Sept. 25, 2025)
- Podcasts and News Fact Sheet (Sept. 25, 2025)
- Bluesky has caught on with many news influencers, but X remains popular (May 29, 2025)
- How news influencers talked about Trump and Harris during the 2024 election (Feb. 6, 2025)
Read all our reports and blog posts related to news influencers.
This is a Pew Research Center analysis from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at https://beta.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/pew-knight/.