As the broader political and media world has taken notice of news influencers, Americans have begun to incorporate these people’s posts into their news habits: about one in five (21%) say they regularly receive news from information influencers on social networks.

This data comes from a survey conducted in late July and early August 2024 of more than 10,000 American adults. The term “news influencers” was defined to survey respondents as “individuals who have a large following on social media and who often post about current events or political or social issues.” This is similar to how we define this group in our analysis of a sample of 500 news influencers.

This chapter delves into the attitudes and experiences of Americans who regularly receive news from influencers.

Similar to other models of use of social media And news consumption on social networksyoung adults are much more likely to hear from influencers on social media. Nearly four in ten Americans ages 18 to 29 (37%) say they regularly receive news from influencers, compared to just 7% of those 65 and older.

Virtually identical shares of Republicans (21%) and Democrats (22%), including independents who lean to each party, say they regularly receive news from influencers.

White Americans are less likely than other racial or ethnic groups to get news from influencers. Only 17% of white American adults say they do so, compared to higher proportions among Hispanic (30%), Asian (29%), and black (27%) adults.

Additionally, adults with lower incomes are more likely to receive news from influencers. About a quarter of low-income people (26%) do so, compared to 21% of those in the middle-income category and 16% of those with higher incomes.

What types of information do Americans get from news influencers?

It’s common for Americans who regularly receive news from news influencers to see multiple types of news from these creators. An overwhelming majority say all four content types are asked about in the survey: basic facts (90%), opinions (87%), fun articles (87%), and breaking news (83%).

To gauge whether people seek out influencers whose opinions match their own, we asked all Americans who report receiving opinions from news influencers whether they tend to agree or disagree with those opinions.

Most people who get opinions from news influencers (61%) say they see opinions they agree and disagree with about equally. Three in ten people say they mostly see opinions they agree with from news influencers, while just 2% say they tend to disagree with them.

Likewise, a 2023 Pew Research Center study on podcast news and information found that podcast listeners who hear political opinions are much more likely to say those opinions match their own rather than different (47% vs. 7%).

Most Americans who receive news from influencers view the content as useful and unique.

Adults who regularly receive news from news influencers generally say that news influencers’ content has helped them better understand current events and civic issues and that it is at least somewhat different from the news they receive from news influencers. ‘they receive from other sources.

Among those who receive news from influencers:

• 65% say news influencers on social media have helped them better understand current events and civic issues, while only 9% say it made them even more confused. About a quarter (26%) say they haven’t made much difference.
• Seven out of ten say that the news they receive from influencers is at least somewhat different from the news they receive from other sources, including around a quarter who say it is extremely or very different (23%). Around three in ten (29%) say information from influencers is not too different or not at all different from information from other sources.

Americans’ ties to news influencers

Among U.S. adults who regularly receive news from news influencers, 58% say they follow or subscribe to at least one news influencer on social media. The substantial share of those who do not following an influencer may be a reflection of algorithmic social media feeds that show people posts from accounts they don’t follow.

A smaller proportion of those who receive news from influencers (31%) say they feel personally connected to one of these content creators. When asked if there are any news influencers they feel they have a personal connection with, about seven in ten say no (69%).

Political ideology linked to divergent views on news influencers

While Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party receive news from news influencers at the same rate as Democrats and Democratic Party supporters, Republicans who receive news from news influencers are more likely to say that this news is extremely or very different from what they receive. other sources (28% versus 19%).

On the other hand, Democrats who receive information from influencers are slightly more likely than Republicans to say it helps them better understand news and civic issues (69% vs. 62%).

People on both ends of the ideological spectrum are particularly likely to express this view. Among those who regularly receive news from influencers, Republicans who identify as conservative are more likely than those who identify as moderate or liberal to say that influencers have helped them better understand current events and civic issues (67 % versus 55%). And liberal Democrats are more likely than moderate or conservative Democrats to say this (76% vs. 60%).

Among those who obtain notice Among news influencers, similar shares of Republicans (31%) and Democrats (32%) say they mostly get opinions they agree with.

But again, those at the ends of the ideological spectrum are more likely to express this view. Among those who regularly hear from influencers and say opinions are one thing they see, identical shares of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats (42% each) say they mostly see opinions they agree with.

In contrast, a much smaller share of conservative or moderate Democrats (20%) and moderate or liberal Republicans (13%) say this is the case. Instead, these groups are more likely to say they equally agree and disagree with the opinions they see from news influencers.

Young adults are more likely to view influencer content as useful and unique

Young adults are much more likely than those in older age groups to get news from influencers. And among those who receive news from news influencers on social media, young people are also more likely to report that the information they receive from news influencers is useful and unique.

• Younger people are more likely to say that news influencers help them better understand current events and civic issues. Among those who hear from influencers, nearly three-quarters of adults ages 18 to 29 (72%) say this about influencers on social media, compared to about half of those 65 and older (53%).
• Younger adults are also more likely to report that the information they receive from influencers is at least somewhat different from that from other sources. Again, considering only those who regularly receive news from influencers on social media, three-quarters of 18- to 29-year-olds say the news they receive is at least somewhat different from the news they receive other sources. A slightly smaller proportion of people aged 65 and over (65%) say the same thing.