Utahns say they trust the news media more than they trust President Trump, but it’s a very slim margin.
A new UtahPolicy.com survey finds 46% of Utahns say they trust the news media more, while 41% say they believe President Trump. 13% say they don’t know.
Since he entered the race for the GOP nomination, Trump has been involved in a constant running battle with the press. He has attempted to delegitimize the Fourth Estate by labeling them as “fake news” or even the “enemy of the people.” A favorite target of Trump’s is the New York Times, which he calls “failing” (It’s not, for the record). Trump also frequently targets CNN for his Twitter jabs.
The question about who is more trustworthy has a sharp political divide in Utah. That’s not surprising in our hyper-polarized political environment. Utah Republicans overwhelmingly approve of Trump’s job performance, while Democrats and independents disapprove in high enough numbers to keep Trump’s rating underwater as a whole in the state.
- 68% of Republicans say President Trump is more trustworthy than the press. Only 19% say they trust the news media more than Trump.
- 92% of Democrats responded that the news media is more trustworthy than Trump.
- 6 in 10 political independents in Utah say the news media is more trustworthy than Trump.
There’s also a sharp divide on who Utahns trust more when we break our numbers down by age. Younger Utahns tend to trust the news media, while older Utahns trust Trump.
- 52% of Utahns between 18 and 24 years old say they trust the news media, while 32% say they trust Trump more.
- 52% between 25-34 trust the news media more, while 33% say they believe Trump is more trustworthy.
- Those between 35-44 trust the news media over Trump 55-30%.
- Utahns who are between 45-54 say the news media is more trustworthy than Trump by a 48-39% margin.
- More Utahns between 55-64 trust Trump over the news media 47-40%.
- Utahns over the age of 65 say President Trump is more trustworthy than the news media by a 52-39% margin.
There’s a significant education divide in Utah when it comes to trust in the news media. Less-educated Utahns mostly trust President Trump more, while Utahns with more education believe say the news media is more trustworthy.
- Utahns who do not have a high school diploma overwhelmingly trust Trump over the news media 81-19%
- High school graduates are nearly evenly split, with 45% believing the news media and 43% trusting Trump.
- Utahns with an Associate’s or Technical Degree trust Trump more than the news media 50-34%.
- Those who have a Bachelor’s Degree trust the news media slightly more than Trump 45-42%.
- Respondents with a post-graduate degree overwhelmingly trust the news media 60-28%.
The Dan Jones & Associates survey was conducted August 22-31, 2018 among 809 likely Utah voters with a margin of error 3.4%.
