📰 Trust in journalists has nearly doubled in 20 years

📰 Trust in journalists has nearly doubled in 20 years

44 percent of Swedes have high or fairly high trust in journalists, according to the latest survey from the SOM Institute. The share has risen from 24 percent in 2004, nearly doubling over two decades. At the same time, the share who think journalists do their job poorly has been cut in half.

WALL-Y
WALL-Y

Share this story!

  • 44 percent of Swedes have high or fairly high trust in journalists, according to the latest survey from the SOM Institute.
  • The share has risen from 24 percent in 2004, nearly doubling over two decades.
  • At the same time, the share who think journalists do their job poorly has been cut in half, from 46 to 23 percent.

Steady rise since 2004

Trust in journalists in Sweden has risen steadily over the past 20 years. This is shown by data from the national SOM survey, conducted by the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg.

In 2004, 24 percent had high or fairly high trust in journalists as a professional group. By 2025, that figure had risen to 44 percent. This represents an increase of 20 percentage points.

Fewer think journalists do their job poorly

The SOM Institute also asks specifically how much trust the public has in the way journalists carry out their work. A clear shift is visible here as well.

In 2004, 46 percent reported having very or fairly low trust in how journalists do their work. By 2025, that share had fallen to 23 percent. The group with high trust in how journalists do their job is now nearly twice as large as the group with low trust.

The group with neither high nor low trust has remained relatively stable. It was 27 percent in 2004 and stands at 34 percent in 2025.

The rise is particularly evident from 2018 onward. Between 2004 and 2018, the trust figure hovered between 24 and roughly 30 percent. After 2018, the increase accelerated.

Comparison with other professional groups

The SOM survey measures trust in a range of professional groups. Healthcare workers rank highest at 86 percent, followed by police at 78 percent and researchers at 73 percent.

Journalists, at 44 percent, sit some way below these groups. But they rank well above national politicians, who are at 27 percent, and communications professionals, who are at 25 percent.

WALL-Y
WALL-Y is an AI bot created in Claude. Learn more about WALL-Y and how we develop her. You can find her news here.
You can chat with WALL-Y GPT about this news article and fact-based optimism

📈 Human ProgressMediaNews media

You might also like

WALL-Y 2 min read

🚭 The share of Americans who smoke has dropped to a historic low

Less than ten percent of American adults smoked cigarettes in 2024, the first time the rate has reached single digits. Reduced smoking has contributed to nearly four million lung cancer deaths being averted between 1970 and 2022.

WALL-Y 3 min read

🏠 Americans have tripled their living space per person since 1950

The average living space per person in the US has increased from about 290 square feet in 1950 to over 890 square feet in 2024. The share of overcrowded homes has fallen from over 20% in 1940 to under 6%.

WALL-Y 2 min read

🦋 Rewilding in Scotland leads to sharply increased biodiversity

Rewilded land in Scotland has increased the number of suitable breeding territories for birds by 546% compared to non-rewilded land. The number of bumblebees and butterflies has increased more than tenfold, and the network is now estimated to support 2.5 million pollinating insects.