Democrats: The Only Voters Left Who Trust Media
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Key Takeaways
- Americans increasingly distrust mainstream media, but MIG Reports analysis suggests Democratic affiliation may strongly correlate with media trust.
- Data analysis of public sentiment surrounding discussion of Gallup polling indicate voters agree that mainstream media cannot be trusted to provide unbiased reporting.
- 65% do not trust media, 25% trust media, and 14% extplicitly discuss the relationship between trust and Democratic loyalty.
Our Methodology
Demographics
All Voters
Sample Size
54,000
Geographical Breakdown
National
Time Period
1 Day
MIG Reports leverages EyesOver technology, employing Advanced AI for precise analysis. This ensures unparalleled precision, setting a new standard. Find out more about the unique data pull for this article.
A viral post from venture capitalist David Sacks on X cited a 2020 Gallup poll about American trust in mainstream media. This ignited discussion about the stark divide in how Americans view news and media and whether trust is correlated with political affiliation. MIG Reports analysis of this conversation, alongside Gallup polling and X’s own Grok analysis reveals American sentiments across party affiliation. In this way, public sentiment extends Gallup’s sample size, confirming the strong correlation.
Party affiliation is now entirely correlated with trust in MSM. Republicans realize it’s propaganda. Independents are on the path. Democrats are the people still plugged into the Matrix. pic.twitter.com/1KSPt8wkX4
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) August 25, 2024
According to Gallup data in 2020:
- 73% of Democrats trusted media
- 36% of Independents trusted media
- 10% of Republicans trusted media
These numbers illustrate Sacks’s suggestion that political affiliations are now less about policy agreement and more about whether a person trusts narratives from the media and politicians.
Growing polarization in the country seems exacerbated by this fraught relationship between voters, the media, and political parties. While the viral poll is from 2020, more recent Gallup data from 2022 and 2023 show similar trends.
In addition, last year’s polling shows Democratic trust in media was on a downward trajectory similar to Republican trust until 2016. A period of high confidence in the media followed through Trump’s administration and has since dropped down to 58% at the tail end of Biden’s term. This trend corresponds with Republican beliefs that media outlets push Democratic and anti-Trump or anti-Republican narratives. Meanwhile, Democrats seem to buy into media narratives particularly about the danger of Donald Trump as a Republican figurehead.
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A comparison of these findings with an independent MIG Reports analysis, based on real-time voter conversations and AI-driven data analysis, explores whether Americans believe trust in media truly correlates with political affiliation in 2024.
Distrust in Mainstream Media
MIG Reports data shows:
- 64.8% of all voters in the discussion indicate a strong distrust in mainstream media.
- This sentiment is predominantly expressed by Republicans, suggesting their isolated percentage is likely higher, aligning with Gallup’s findings.
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Most conversations about distrust cite the perception of bias and dishonesty from mainstream media outlets. Republican-leaning voters often express a belief that media outlets are skewed to favor liberal viewpoints. This causes skepticism about the accuracy and fairness of reporting.
Voters use phrases like "fake news" and "liberal bias," signaling frustration over their belief in a deliberate distortion of facts to support Democratic narratives. This sentiment is particularly strong when media coverage is perceived to misrepresent or unfairly criticize conservative figures and policies.
This group feels their viewpoints and values are systematically overlooked, criticized, distorted, or misrepresented by mainstream media.
Trust in Mainstream Media
MIG Reports data shows:
- 24.9% of all voters express trust in mainstream media—mostly coming from Democrats.
- This is lower than Gallup’s 2023 finding that 32% of Americans trust the media “a great deal” or “a fair amount.”
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Those who express trust in mainstream media often emphasize the importance of “credible journalism” and its role in political accountability in a democracy. Comments from Democratic-leaning individuals highlight their belief that media outlets serve as essential checks on political power and provide necessary transparency.
This group uses words like, "responsible reporting" and "factual news." They say the media plays a crucial role in informing the public and holding leaders accountable. Democratic trust is often linked to the perception that media organizations are committed to objective reporting and that there is no widespread institutional corruption.
For these Democrats, media coverage that aligns with their values or supports their political perspectives is positive and trustworthy.
Correlation of Trust with Democratic Support
MIG Reports data shows:
- 14.6% of discussions about trust in media directly mention a correlation with support for the Democratic Party.
- This percentage indicates conversations about a potential correlation—it does not directly project the correlation itself.
- However, it does support a conclusion that Democrats largely comprise the dwindling segment of voters giving credence to mainstream media reporting.
The analysis suggests a correlation between political affiliation and perceptions of media trustworthiness. Republicans predominantly express distrust towards mainstream media, citing bias and misrepresentation. This distrust is frequently linked to coverage that is seen as hostile and antagonistic toward conservative viewpoints.
Democrats are more likely to view mainstream media positively, aligning their trust with media coverage that supports their political beliefs and values. This divide suggests trust in media is not only influenced by the content and quality of reporting but is also deeply intertwined with one's political identity and alignment.
If there is a correlation between trust in the media and Democratic affiliation, the analysis does not clearly suggest why that might be. Two possibilities may be that Democrats trust media sources which confirm their biases, or that those adopting a skeptical attitude toward media are also likely to lose allegiance to the Democratic Party.
X’s Grok Analysis Confirms Findings
Analysis using a similar methodology to MIG Reports reveals the X (formerly Twitter) AI platform Grok reaches similar findings. In parallel Grok analysis:
- 60-70% of Americans distrust media versus MIG Reports showing 64.8% distrust.
- 30-40% of Americans trust media compared to MIG Reports showing 24.9% trust.
- 70-80% of Democrats agree with or do not distrust media narratives, versus only 10-20% of Republicans.
Quantifying the Correlation
With an estimated correlation coefficient (r) based on these sentiments:
- Democrats show a positive trust correlation coefficient around r = 0.6 to 0.8.
- Republicans have inverse relationship where trust is a negative correlation coefficient around r = -0.6 to -0.8.
- Independents show a weaker but still negative trust correlation around r = -0.2 to -0.4.
This quantification suggests political affiliation, particularly towards the Democratic Party, is a strong predictor of media trust. Democrats are more likely to trust media sources which might be seen as aligning with or at least not actively opposing their political views.
However, broader distrust across the population, including Independents, highlights a general skepticism towards media, but this sentiment is notably amplified among Republicans.
This Grok analysis suggests the link between political affiliation and media perception may be more pronounced than MIG Reports data currently demonstrates. While this difference in analysis is worth noting, the overall narrative remains consistent—political affiliation plays a significant role in shaping how Americans perceive the media.
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Corrupt Media Fosters Anti-Establishment Views
With so few Americans trusting the media, many voters express a sentiment of crisis threatening the American political and social landscape. When journalism is perceived as politicized, it loses credibility and fails to serve its essential role as the "fourth estate"—a watchdog that holds power to account.
The growing distrust in media, politicians, and institutions raises concerns about the public's ability to find truth and make informed decisions. This is a deep concern for many voters leading up to the 2024 election. Many view this presidential election as extremely high-stakes and a pivotal moment for the trajectory of America.
As the media is seen as biased or untrustworthy, voters increasingly turn to alternative sources of information, further fragmenting public discourse. This fragmentation could lead to an electorate that is even more polarized, making it harder for candidates to reach across the aisle or build consensus on critical issues. The erosion of trust in journalism could also lead to increased skepticism toward election results, particularly if the media plays a central role in reporting on election outcomes. This suspicion of election integrity is also corroborated by MIG Reports data showing sentiment on the topic dropping down to 35% in the last week.
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