Poll: Majority of Likely Voters Say ‘News Media Have Too Much Power and Influence Over Government Decisions’

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A majority of America’s likely voters say “the news media have too much power and influence over government decisions,” a new Rasmussen survey finds.

The national survey of 1,000 U.S. likely voters, conducted January 6-7, 2021 asked:

“Does the news media have too much power and influence over government decisions, too little power or about the right amount of power?”

While 54% said media have “too much” power over government, only 10% said they think media have “too little” power and 31% said the media’s power was “about the right amount.” Another five percent weren’t sure, one way or the other.

While belief that media have too much influence over government decisions remained consistent among age and gender groups (male/female), Whites (77%) were more likely than Blacks (32%) to think that media’s power is excessive.

Republicans (77%) were more than twice as likely as Democrats (34%) to say media wield too much control over government decisions.

Government employees (53%) and private company workers (54%) were in line with the national average saying media have too much power and influence over government decisions, compared to 62% of entrepreneurs.