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According to a recent survey by Pew Research Center, approximately 21% of U.S. adults regularly get their news from social media influencers. The survey, conducted in late July and early August 2024, included over 10,000 U.S. adults. The term "news influencers" was defined as "individuals who have a large following on social media and often post about news or political or social issues."
The survey revealed that younger adults are more likely to get news from social media influencers, with nearly four in ten Americans aged 18 to 29 (37%) saying they regularly get news from these sources, compared to just 7% of those aged 65 and older. The study also found that similar proportions of Republicans (21%) and Democrats (22%) regularly get news from social media influencers.
Racial and ethnic differences were also noted, with White Americans being less likely than other groups to get news from influencers. Only 17% of White U.S. adults say they do this, compared to 30% of Hispanic, 29% of Asian, and 27% of Black adults. Additionally, adults with lower incomes are more likely to get news from news influencers, with about a quarter of those with lower incomes (26%) doing this, compared to 21% of those in the middle-income category and 16% of those with higher incomes.
The survey also found that most people who get opinions from news influencers see opinions that they agree and disagree with about equally. However, those at the ends of the ideological spectrum are more likely to say they mostly see opinions they agree with. Among those who regularly get news from influencers, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are more likely to say they mostly see opinions they agree with.
The study concluded that adults who regularly get news from news influencers generally say content from news influencers has helped them better understand current events and civic issues and that it is at least somewhat different from the news they get from other sources.