Study Finds Social Media Now a Leading News Source for Montanans
Latest Greater Montana Foundation study finds:
• Montanans are increasingly consuming news as a passive experience.
• Social media matches traditional media as a source for news.
• Montanans’ trusted sources of news differ by political identity.
• Montanans find local news important.
May 28, 2026 — Helena, Mont. — A new study released by the Greater Montana Foundation, the organization
dedicated to encouraging communication on the issues, trends and values important to Montanans , reveals
startling new trends in Montanans’ attention to news and how they consume news and information.
According to the 2025-2026 Sources of News Survey, commissioned by GMF and conducted by the University
of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Montanans’ attention to news is decreasing,
becoming a more passive experience. And age and political party affiliation are increasingly determinant
factors in which news sources are consumed and trusted.
The statewide, random-sample survey was conducted in the winter of 2025-2026 and follows the 2015, 2016
and 2019 GMF Sources of News surveys. This new survey, the first in the post-COVID era, asked Montana
adults about their news consumption habits, trusted news sources and issues of importance. The survey has
a sampling error rate of +/- 6%.
“While the study shows that local news remains important to Montanans, more people are now receiving
news through social and digital platforms where information is delivered to them rather than actively sought,”
said Nicole McCleskey, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a national public opinion research firm that
provided analytical assistance for the GMF study. “As algorithms increasingly shape what people see, news
consumption can become more passive and reinforce echo chambers that limit exposure to differing
perspectives and sources of information.”
The study finds that Montanans are increasingly consuming news as a passive experience, with 67% of adults
saying they are more likely to “read or listen to the news that is delivered to you” as compared to 33% who
“search out news that interests you.” 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. The survey also reports that Montanans’ attention to current events has steadily dropped since 2015, with
those who follow the news “very closely” dropping from 23% in 2015 to 19% in 2025-2026. Attention to news
is eroding most significantly among younger adults, with 51% of Montanans ages 18 – 34 saying they follow
the news “very” or “somewhat” closely, compared to 85% of adults age 65 and older.
When asked if they use social media as a news source, 71% of Montanans said they use social media to
access news and information, compared to 47% in 2019 and 34% in 2015.
Use of social media as a source of local news now matches local television and newspaper consumption and
exceeds radio. Local news continues to be at least somewhat important to Montanans, with 82% of the
respondents saying that they find local news “absolutely,” “mostly” or “somewhat” important.
Partisan preferences in news consumption and trustworthiness divided survey respondents. When asked
what specific news source they trust most, Republican respondent sources included a mix of local and
national news sources, including Montana Television Network (CBS), Google, NBC Montana, FoxNews.com
and Nonstop Local (ABC/Fox). Democrat respondents’ trusted news sources included NYTimes.com,
Bozeman Chronicle, CNN.com, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Google.
“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,” said Ed Johnson, chair of the Greater Montana
Foundation Board of Trustees. “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.”
The study also asked Montanans about issues of importance. When asked which “one issue” respondents
think is most important to Montana, inflation and the cost of living was by far the top concern for Montanans
at 27%. Other top issues include (in order of importance) the environment, health care, weather or natural
disasters, and jobs and the economy.
About the Greater Montana Foundation
Founded in 1958 by visionary pioneer broadcaster, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ed Craney, the Greater
Montana Foundation aims to benefit the people of Montana by encouraging communication on the issues,
trends and values important to present and future generations of Montanans. Through its grant program, GMF
provides support to a broad range of television, radio and documentary film initiatives. GMF has been a
longtime sponsor of Montana PBS and Montana Public Radio programming. Results from this survey will be
used to provide focus areas for GMF grantmaking in the future. greatermontana.org
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Media note: You’ll find additional findings and survey methodology on the separate Fact Sheet included with
this press release. A detailed set of results, with cross tabulations, is available by request and will be posted on greatermontana.org and on the UM Bureau of Business and Economic Research’s website, bber.umt.edu.
The final presentation slide deck can be downloaded here, after the event.