In some ways, X (formerly named Twitter) is more of a news destination than the other three social media sites studied. For example, in the United States, most X users say getting news is at least a minor reason why they use the site, which is not the case for Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
At the same time, there have been changes to how people use the site since it was purchased by Elon Musk in 2022 and later rebranded. A 2023 survey found that X news consumers have become more evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans after they leaned heavily Democratic in previous years.
Our survey looks at U.S. X users’ experiences with getting news. Among the key findings:
- Large majorities of X users say they see several types of news content on the platform. Three-quarters or more of X users say they see opinions about current events (85%), funny posts that reference current events (79%), news articles posted or reposted (79%), and information about a breaking news event as it is happening (75%).
- Americans who regularly get news on X are much more likely to get it from news outlets or journalists than from influencers, advocacy groups, or friends and family. Three-quarters of X news consumers also say they get news from other people they don’t know personally, beyond these other types of sources.
- Democrats who get news on X are much more likely than Republican news consumers on the platform to say X influences which news stories users see there. Democrats also are more likely to report that they often see inaccurate news on X.
How people get news on X
Half of X users say they regularly get news on the site, and an even larger share (65%) say getting news is a reason they use X. This includes a quarter of users who say news is a major reason for using the site.
Read more: Reasons for using X
Regardless of whether they come to the site for news, three-quarters or more of X users say they come across each of four types of news-related content on the platform:
- People expressing opinions about current events (85%)
- Funny posts that reference current events (79%)
- News articles, whether posted, reposted, linked or screenshotted (79%)
- Information about a breaking news event as it’s happening (75%)
About nine-in-ten X users (92%) say they ever see at least one of these types of news content on the site.
X users are more likely than those on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok to see breaking news unfold on the site.
What sources people get news from on X
Among U.S. adults who regularly get news on X, eight-in-ten say they get news from news outlets or journalists on the platform.
Far fewer say they get news from influencers or celebrities (49%) or advocacy or nonprofit organizations (46%). And only about a quarter of X news consumers (26%) get news from friends, family and acquaintances on X – well below the share of news consumers on the other social media sites studied who get news from friends, family and acquaintances.
Three-quarters of X news consumers say they get news from other people they don’t know personally, beyond those mentioned above.
Views about news on X
Inaccurate information
An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults who regularly get news on X (86%) say they at least sometimes see news on the platform that seems inaccurate, including 37% who report seeing inaccurate news extremely or fairly often.
Views by party
X news consumers who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than their Republican or GOP-leaning counterparts to say they often see inaccurate news on the platform (42% vs. 31%).
X’s influence on the news users see
Roughly two-thirds of X news consumers (66%) say they think the platform influences which news stories they see to at least some extent. This includes 21% who say X impacts which news stories they see there a lot.
Views by party
Again, Democratic news consumers on X express more skeptical views toward the platform.
Eight-in-ten Democrats who regularly get news on X say that the platform exerts at least some influence in what news stories they see there, compared with 55% of Republican X news consumers who say the same. About twice as many Democrats as Republicans say this happens a lot (28% vs. 13%).
X as a source of unique news
Similar shares of X news consumers say the news they get on the platform is mostly news they would have gotten elsewhere if they didn’t use X (31%) and news they would not have gotten elsewhere (29%). Four-in-ten say it is an even mix of both.
Views by party
Republican X news consumers are slightly more likely than Democrats who regularly get news on the site to say the news they get there is mostly news they would not have gotten elsewhere (33% vs. 24%).
Feeling worn out by news on X
One-in-five X news consumers say they often feel worn out by the news they see on the platform, and an additional 43% say they sometimes feel this way.
Among those who regularly get news on X, Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say they often feel worn out by the news they see there (31% vs. 11%).
