The global trend points to a sharp decline in trust in the media, according to the Digital News Report 2026 study, prepared by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. This decline is attributed to general political polarization and changing ways of consuming information.
Declining trust and concerns about fakes
The study covered almost 100,000 people in 48 countries, finding that the level of trust in news was the lowest since 2015, when measurements began. In 2026, the figure fell by three points compared with the previous year, when it stood at 40 percent.
A decline in trust was recorded in 29 of the 48 countries studied. In some of them, the figure fell by 5 percentage points or more. A particularly notable drop was recorded in the Philippines, Ireland, Thailand, Peru and Poland. In the United States, for example, only 25 percent of respondents trust most news, and among Americans with right-wing political views, just 15 percent.
Concerns about misinformation
Alongside the decline in trust, concern about the spread of misinformation is growing. Already 62 percent of respondents said they are worried about the possibility of encountering fake or misleading news on the internet.
The authors of the study note that the decline in trust is linked not only to the work of the media, but also to a general decline in trust in public and political institutions, as well as to the fact that more and more people get information through social networks, video platforms and other digital channels.
