Americans trust PBS because it’s publicly funded, not in spite of it

I'm not surprised to find that PBS is broadly trusted, but I was surprised to see how broadly and across the board it is trusted. I hope we can assure it survives, as the article says: an institution this trusted needs to be maintained, especially in a time where general trust in media and each other is so low.

Given that the U.S. spends only $1.40 per capita on public media, compared to over $100 per capita in the U.K. and Norway and compared to, for example, the $849 billion spent on the military (almost $2,700 per capita), the high levels of trust in PBS from across the political spectrum suggests a tremendous value for very little money.

Very little seems to unite Americans these days. Trust in government and public institutions is precipitously low. PBS bucks this trend. It is an “island of trust” in an ocean of what some call “post-trust” and others call “post-truth.” It can be the focal point for a renewed spirit of American public discussions, a commitment to journalism, and a platform to recultivate trust.

For this to happen, however, PBS needs to survive. More than that, it needs to thrive. A 2021 study by Timothy Neff and Victor Pickard that we cite in our article found that those countries with high levels of support for public broadcasting also have healthier democracies.