{"id":310550,"date":"2026-06-05T10:53:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=310550"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T17:08:40","slug":"americans-say-keeping-up-with-key-news-topics-is-crucial-but-fewer-say-theyre-highly-informed-themselves","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/06\/05\/americans-say-keeping-up-with-key-news-topics-is-crucial-but-fewer-say-theyre-highly-informed-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans say keeping up with key news topics is crucial. But fewer say they’re highly informed themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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(The Good Brigade\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Americans overwhelmingly say it\u2019s extremely or very important for people to stay informed about a range of news topics, including the healthcare system (82%), voting and election processes (82%), and what the president can and cannot do (80%). But far fewer say they\u2019re extremely or very informed about these topics themselves, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey asked U.S. adults about 11 news topics. Majorities say it\u2019s highly important for individual Americans to stay informed about nearly all of them \u2013 even as far fewer say they\u2019re personally well-informed in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis looks at the perceived importance of following several news topics, as well as how informed Americans feel about those topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why we did this<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center regularly studies how Americans\u00a0consume news<\/a>\u00a0and how they learn about civic issues. This research builds on our earlier work in these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about\u00a0Pew Research Center<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0research on news habits and media<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For this analysis, we surveyed 1,031 U.S. adults from March 6 to 9, 2026. The survey was conducted by SSRS for Pew Research Center on the SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus. The SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus is a national, multimode (web and phone), probability-based panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey is weighted to represent the target population of U.S. adults ages 18 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the\u00a0survey questions<\/a>\u00a0used for this analysis, the\u00a0detailed responses<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n

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Most Americans say it\u2019s important to stay informed on key issues, but fewer feel highly informed themselves<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
% of U.S. adults who say \u2026<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"Chart\"<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Note: Other responses for the question on how informed people are about each topic include \u201cSomewhat informed,\u201d \u201cNot too informed\u201d and \u201cNot at all informed.\u201d Other responses for the question on how important people think it is for individual Americans to stay informed about each topic include \u201cSomewhat important,\u201d \u201cNot too important\u201d and \u201cNot at all important.\u201d<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 6-9, 2026.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t