Navigating the Oxford Digital News Report Trust Index
The Oxford Digital News Report Trust Index, published annually by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, is the global benchmark for measuring public confidence in news media. It tracks how audiences across nearly 50 markets perceive the credibility of news organizations, providing a critical data set for understanding the health of the global information ecosystem.
What is the current state of news trust?
According to the Digital News Report 2025, overall trust in news has remained stable for the third consecutive year at 40% globally. However, this stability masks significant regional disparities; countries like Finland report high trust levels (67%), while Greece and Hungary remain at the bottom of the index with only 22%. The report highlights a "paradigm shift" where audiences are increasingly skeptical of AI-generated content and are turning toward personality-led news on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Key Findings from the 2025 Trust Index
The latest data reveals a complex landscape where traditional media is struggling to maintain its "gatekeeper" status.
1. The Global Trust Divide
Trust is not evenly distributed. The report categorizes markets based on their historical and political contexts:
High-Trust Markets: Primarily Northern European countries (Finland, Norway) where public service media remains strong.
Low-Trust Markets: Countries like the US, Greece, and Hungary, where political polarization and "fake news" rhetoric have eroded institutional confidence.
2. The Rise of "Selective Trust"
Research associated with the report shows that audiences are becoming selectively trusting. Rather than trusting "the news" as a whole, people are narrowing their confidence to specific brands or individual creators. In the US, for example, 22% of respondents now encounter news through personalities like Joe Rogan, often trusting these individuals more than traditional outlets.
3. AI and the "Truth Gap"
A major theme in the 2025 index is the skepticism toward Artificial Intelligence.
54% of respondents feel uncomfortable with news produced primarily by AI.
The public still prizes "human-produced" news, viewing it as more authentic and accountable.
Trust by the Numbers: 2024 vs. 2025
The following table illustrates the trust levels in key global markets over the last two reporting cycles.
| Country | 2024 Trust Level | 2025 Trust Level | Change |
| Finland | 69% | 67% | -2% |
| Germany | 43% | 45% | +2% |
| United States | 32% | 32% | 0% |
| United Kingdom | 36% | 33% | -3% |
| Greece | 23% | 22% | -1% |
Why the Trust Index Matters
For journalists and policymakers, the Trust Index is a diagnostic tool. It suggests that rebuilding trust requires more than just "fact-checking"; it requires transparency, original on-the-ground reporting, and human-centric storytelling. As platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) become primary news sources for younger generations, the challenge for legacy media is to remain relevant without sacrificing the standards that underpin the Trust Index.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of News Trust
The Oxford Digital News Report doesn't just ask "Do you trust the news?" but instead breaks trust down into four distinct Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These metrics allow researchers to distinguish between a general feeling of skepticism and the specific ways people interact with different media brands.
1. Generalized Trust (The Headline KPI)
What it measures: The percentage of respondents who agree with the statement: "I think you can trust most news most of the time."
Current Trend: Globally, this has plateaued at 40%.
Significance: This is the baseline "health check" for a country's media ecosystem. When this KPI drops, it often signals high political polarization or a rise in disinformation.
2. Trust in "News I Use" (The Engagement KPI)
What it measures: Confidence in the specific news sources that the individual respondent actually consumes.
Current Trend: This KPI is consistently 10–15% higher than Generalized Trust (averaging roughly 54% globally).
Significance: This gap shows that while people are cynical about the media "industry," they remain relatively loyal to their preferred brands.
3. Trust in News from Search & Social (The Platform KPI)
What it measures: Confidence in news encountered on platforms like Google, TikTok, and Facebook.
Current Trend: This is the lowest-scoring KPI, often hovering between 20% and 25%.
Significance: It highlights the "context collapse" of social media, where high-quality reporting is often indistinguishable from opinion or fake news in a single feed.
4. News Avoidance Rate (The Sustainability KPI)
What it measures: The percentage of people who say they actively turn away from news (often or sometimes).
Current Trend: This has hit record highs, reaching 39% globally in 2025 (up from 29% in 2017).
Significance: High avoidance is a critical KPI for publishers because even if trust is high, a lack of engagement makes the business model unsustainable.
2025 Global Scorecard Rankings
The "Scorecard" ranks nations based on their Generalized Trust KPI. It reveals a deep "trust divide" between the stable Nordic democracies and markets facing high political or corporate interference.
2025 Scorecard: Top & Bottom Performers
| Rank | Country | Trust KPI (%) | Primary Driver / Market Context |
| 1 | Finland | 67% | High media literacy and strong public service media. |
| 2 | Norway | 61% | Robust independent local news ecosystem. |
| 3 | Denmark | 59% | High social cohesion and low political interference. |
| 12 | Germany | 45% | Recovery driven by reliable regional/local reporting. |
| 31 | United Kingdom | 33% | Steepest 10-year decline due to political polarization. |
| 32 | United States | 32% | Stagnant trust; audiences migrating to "Social-First" news. |
| 47 | Greece | 22% | Perceived government and business capture of media. |
| 48 | Hungary | 22% | Extreme political control over the media landscape. |
The "AI Trust Gap"
A new sub-metric in the 2025 scorecard is the Human vs. AI Credibility Score.
54% of respondents globally are "uncomfortable" with news produced primarily by AI.
Only 9% of users would use an AI chatbot to verify if a story is true, while 38% would go to a "News source I trust."
This suggests that for the first time in years, the "Human-Produced" label has become a competitive advantage for legacy newsrooms.
Data Source and Methodology
The findings presented in the Oxford Digital News Report Trust Index are derived from one of the most rigorous and expansive studies of news consumption in the world. The report is commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) at the University of Oxford and represents a collaborative global research effort.
How the Data is Collected
The research process is standardized across all markets to ensure that year-on-year and country-to-country comparisons are statistically valid.
Lead Polling Partner: The fieldwork is conducted by YouGov, a global public opinion and data company.
Sample Size: The 2025 report is based on a massive dataset of nearly 100,000 respondents across 48 markets on six continents.
Survey Method: Data is gathered via an online questionnaire. In each market, YouGov assembles samples using nationally representative quotas for age, gender, region, and education levels.
Timeframe: Surveys are typically conducted between mid-January and late February each year, ensuring the data reflects the most current public sentiment.
Weighting: Results are weighted to targets based on census or industry-accepted data (such as the United Nations population dashboard) to ensure the online sample accurately reflects the broader connected population.
Note on Digital Bias: Because this is an online survey, it primarily represents "connected" populations. In countries with lower internet penetration (such as parts of Africa or Southeast Asia), the results are more representative of younger, urban, and English-speaking users rather than the national population as a whole.
Technical Specifications: The Trust Index Dataset
For researchers and media analysts, the following table summarizes the scope and provenance of the 2025 Trust Index data.
Table Source: Reuters Institute / YouGov 2025
| Specification | Details |
| Data Owner | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (University of Oxford) |
| Primary Fieldwork | YouGov Surveys (Online Panel) |
| Total Respondents | ~95,000 - 100,000 |
| Total Markets | 48 (Including new additions like Serbia) |
| Funders | Google News Initiative, BBC, Ofcom, ZDF, and 14+ other partners |
| Confidence Interval | Approximately +/- 2 percentage points per market |
| Main KPI | "Trust news most of the time" (Generalized Trust) |
Accuracy and Limitations
While the Trust Index is the industry standard, the Reuters Institute emphasizes that these figures capture self-reported behavior and subjective opinions.
Statistically Significant Changes: The report warns that shifts of +/- 2% or less should be treated with caution, as they may fall within the margin of error.
The "Social-First" Transition: A major caveat in the 2025 data is the rapid rise of platform-based news (TikTok, X, YouTube), which challenges traditional methods of measuring "brand" trust.
Conclusion: The Road Ahead for Media Credibility
The 2025 Oxford Digital News Report Trust Index paints a picture of a media landscape at a historic crossroads. While the global trust figure has stabilized at 40%, the foundations upon which that trust is built are shifting beneath the feet of traditional institutions.
The "Trust Divide" is no longer just between different countries, but between different philosophies of consumption:
The "Legacy-First" Guard: Older audiences who continue to value the editorial gatekeeping and established standards of public service broadcasters and regional papers.
The "Social-First" Pioneers: Younger generations who prioritize authenticity and personality, often trusting individual creators on TikTok or YouTube over faceless corporate entities.
Summary of the 2025 Outlook
The report concludes that the future of news trust will be defined by how the industry handles the Artificial Intelligence paradox. While AI offers tools for efficiency and personalization, the data shows that the public's appetite for "Human-Led" news has never been higher. This suggests that the most successful newsrooms of the next decade will be those that use AI to handle the "back-end" (transcripts, summaries, and translations) while doubling down on original, human-driven reporting as their primary trust-building asset.
Ultimately, the 2025 Index reminds us that trust is not a static score to be maintained, but a relationship to be constantly renewed through transparency, local relevance, and a commitment to accuracy in an increasingly fragmented digital world.
