Journalists are crucial in helping people learn essential details about the functioning of the world around them, but in spite of the fact that this is the case members of this profession have had a lot of trouble with gaining public trust. Back in 2020, only 23% of people in the UK said that they trusted journalists, and that suggested that public trust of the news industry was at an all time low with all things having been considered and taken into account.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this number has seen some upward movement in the past couple of years. A recent survey of 1,000 people living in the UK revealed that 29% of people now trust journalists. That indicates that more people now trust the ones that are providing them with news than might have been the case otherwise.
Trust in journalists has slowly been increasing since the turn of the millennium, but interestingly it is the youngest generation that has the least amount of trust in them. 60% of the Gen Z cohort said that they do not trust journalists, and Millennials said more or less the same with 59% agreeing with the sentiment.
It also seems that more educated people are more likely to trust journalists. 37% of survey respondents who had at least a bachelor’s degree said that they trusted journalists. Those without college degrees were far less likely to say the same. 25% of people who graduated high school said that they placed any kind of trust in journalists.
There is also a significant class divide at play here. Working class people generally don’t trust the way that journalism works because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up misrepresenting their lives. Only 25% of working class people said that the had faith in journalistic integrity. This number went up to 28% for lower middle class people, 30% for skilled middle class workers and 35% for the middle and upper middle classes.
Journalists were trusted by 28% of people last year, and the increase to 29% suggests that there is a very positive trend underway. They might be catering more to working class people and those who did not go to college, and that is important if they want to create a world that is a lot more informed and enable people to make educated decisions about the things that matter.
Another thing to note here is that TV news readers have been seeing a massive increase in the number of people that trust what they have to say. They have seen a 6 point increase in trust in the span of a year. 52% of survey respondents said that they trusted their TV news readers back in 2021, and this number has jumped to 58% in 2022.
Politicians, meanwhile, are seeing a massive erosion of public trust. Only about 12% of survey respondents said that they trust politicians, which is down a tremendous 7 points from the 19% that said the same in the previous year.
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With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this number has seen some upward movement in the past couple of years. A recent survey of 1,000 people living in the UK revealed that 29% of people now trust journalists. That indicates that more people now trust the ones that are providing them with news than might have been the case otherwise.
Trust in journalists has slowly been increasing since the turn of the millennium, but interestingly it is the youngest generation that has the least amount of trust in them. 60% of the Gen Z cohort said that they do not trust journalists, and Millennials said more or less the same with 59% agreeing with the sentiment.
It also seems that more educated people are more likely to trust journalists. 37% of survey respondents who had at least a bachelor’s degree said that they trusted journalists. Those without college degrees were far less likely to say the same. 25% of people who graduated high school said that they placed any kind of trust in journalists.
There is also a significant class divide at play here. Working class people generally don’t trust the way that journalism works because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up misrepresenting their lives. Only 25% of working class people said that the had faith in journalistic integrity. This number went up to 28% for lower middle class people, 30% for skilled middle class workers and 35% for the middle and upper middle classes.
Journalists were trusted by 28% of people last year, and the increase to 29% suggests that there is a very positive trend underway. They might be catering more to working class people and those who did not go to college, and that is important if they want to create a world that is a lot more informed and enable people to make educated decisions about the things that matter.
Another thing to note here is that TV news readers have been seeing a massive increase in the number of people that trust what they have to say. They have seen a 6 point increase in trust in the span of a year. 52% of survey respondents said that they trusted their TV news readers back in 2021, and this number has jumped to 58% in 2022.
Politicians, meanwhile, are seeing a massive erosion of public trust. Only about 12% of survey respondents said that they trust politicians, which is down a tremendous 7 points from the 19% that said the same in the previous year.
Read next: Research highlights the most commonly shared life events across TikTok and Instagram
