More Montanans ‘passive’ in news consumption, turn to social media, report says
Greater Montana Foundation finds overall attention to news dropping, but high interest in local news.
Montanans are seeking out news less than they used to and instead receiving it passively on social media, according to a new Greater Montana Foundation study.
One result?
A reinforcement of “echo chambers that limit exposure to different perspectives and sources of information.”
The survey found 33% of Montanans most often search out news that interests them, but 67% most often read or listen to news that is delivered to them.
One antidote? More conversation.
John Baldridge, survey research director for the report, on Monday said evidence shows polarization is intensifying, and community leaders and average people need to talk about it.
Baldridge, with the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, also encouraged people to actively seek out news rather than let powerful companies and their algorithms drive their consumption.
“It sure seems like Democrats and Republicans are much more likely to read or listen to news that is delivered to them rather than search out news,” Baldridge said. “(But) … if you don’t want to be subject to the motives of the people who make the algorithms, be conscious and select your news source.”
The Greater Montana Foundation, with a mission to communicate values important to Montanans, last week released the media consumption study conducted by the UM Bureau of Business and Economic Research. It identifies trends in news. Results among 406 Montanans completing a survey also found social media matches traditional media as a source of news for Montanans; Montanans’ trusted news sources differ by political identity; and Montanans find local news important.
The survey found 71% of respondents said they use social media to access news and information compared to 47% in 2019 and 34% in 2015.
The report said 82% of respondents found local news “absolutely,” “mostly” or “somewhat” important. Public Opinion Strategies provided analytical assistance to the Greater Montana Foundation.
“Montanans continue to value local news, but this study highlights how dramatically the ways people access and engage with news have changed over the last decade,” Ed Johnson, chairman of the Greater Montana Foundation Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
Other results from the survey:
Adults with a high school education are more likely to be passive news consumers, with 82% listening or reading news that is delivered to them, compared to 56% of those with a college degree who consume news that is delivered to them.
Montanans who follow the news “very closely” dropped from 23% in 2015 to 19% in 2025-2026. Attention to news is eroding most significantly among younger adults. The study said 51% of Montanans ages 18-34 saying they follow the news “very” or “somewhat” closely compared to 85% of adults age 65 and older.
In 2015, 17% of people said they got their news from conversations with family, friends or colleagues, and that went up to 45% in 2019 and 61% in 2025-2026, Baldridge said.
People are also less willing to share news on the internet. In 2015, 43% shared an item to influence others, and the number climbed to 63% in 2019, Baldridge said.
“But then it dropped like a stone in 2025-2026, down to 26%,” Baldridge said.
People are talking with those they know, but it appears that interactions with people they don’t know are declining, he said. He said it means interpersonal echo chambers are intensifying.
“It does look like it’s related to polarization that we’re seeing around the United States,” Baldridge said.
The study found “news fatigue” is a factor as well.
A recent Pew Research Center study said 52% of adults in the United States are worn out by the amount of news that’s available, Baldridge said.
Likewise, in the Greater Montana Foundation study, the proportion of people who say they’re not following news closely increased by 10 points from 2019 to 2025-2026.
“Another way news media might be able to help is by encouraging people to be selective about their news sources and not to get kind of tempted to dive into the rabbit holes provided to them by algorithms,” Baldridge said.
But people’s attention is at a premium, said Kyle Schmauch, communications director for the Senate Majority at the Montana Legislature.
Schmauch, who sends daily news clips to Republican legislators in both the state House and Senate, said he collects information that’s relevant to policymaking from a variety of sources, but the media landscape means readers are inundated.
“There’s always more demand for people’s eyeball time than exists in their day,” Schmauch said. “So media outlets aren’t just competing with each other for people’s attention, local news is competing with Netflix is competing with dog-and-cat Instagram reels that are fun to watch.”
The study found Republicans and Democrats largely differ in the news sources they trust, but it said Montana Television Network — the state’s CBS affiliate — is the No. 1 trusted station, used by 50% of Republicans and also 23% of Democrats.
Schmauch said other networks do good work, but he believes MTN leads the way for several reasons. He said it dedicates more energy, care and resources to covering state government, has retained experienced reporters, and is “very, very accurate.”
The study said Republican respondents identified a mix of local and national news sources, in addition to MTN, as those they trust most, also Google, NBC Montana, FoxNews.com and Nonstop Local (ABC/Fox). It said Democrats trusted the NYTimes.com, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, CNN.com, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Google.
“These findings underscore the importance of informed civic dialogue and seeking trusted journalism from a variety of sources at a time when news consumption is increasingly shaped by digital platforms, political polarization and passive information habits,” Johnson said in a statement.
Story originally published by: https://dailymontanan.com/2026/06/02/more-montanans-passive-in-news-consumption-turn-to-social-media-report-says/