As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on the Rescissions Act of 2025, which would rescind nearly $1.1 billion in previously-appropriated funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a new national survey finds that a majority of U.S. voters place more trust in public media than media overall.
The CPB survey, conducted online by Peak Insights from June 29–July 1, found that among the 1,000 “likely voters” surveyed, 53% oppose eliminating all federal funding for public media. Additionally, voters “highly value” public media’s core services and programming, such as emergency alerts (82%), children’s educational programming (66%), local programming (66%) and national news reporting (60%), according to a CPB press release.
In the coming days, President Donald Trump is seeking a total cut of $9.4 billion, which includes the proposed defunding of the U.S. Agency for International Development, in addition to public media. The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense.
The survey reports that voters more widely trust public media compared with media in general when it comes to reporting the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” According to the CPB release, only 35% of surveyed voters trust media in general, but 53% of voters trust public media networks and local stations.
“Public media is a trusted, vital part of American life, available free of charge and commercial free,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO in the release. “It delivers early learning resources to families, life-saving emergency alerts to communities and trusted local and national programming to keep citizens connected and informed.”
Additionally, CPB reports that a majority of surveyed voters hold a favorable opinion of local public television and radio stations (65% favorable), PBS (61%) and NPR (54% favorable), with for-profit media organizations reportedly less popular (61% unfavorable).
Other survey results of note include:
- 68% of respondents believe public media serves as a lifeline for rural and underserved communities;
- 66% of respondents believe public media provides quality educational programming for children;
- And 62% of respondents believe public media should remain available free of charge.
“The path to a better, more trusted public media is only possible with continued federal support, which drives our commitment to serving the American public,” said Harrison. “Federal funding compels CPB to continually strengthen efforts to deepen trust and fulfill the mission envisioned by Congress through the content and services provided by local stations.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, helps support the operations of approximately 1,500 locally-managed and operated public television and radio stations.
