Media Briefing: Wealthy Americans’ Social Media Usage, Trust in the Press & More

Sign up for our retail briefing newsletter. This monthly email curates our latest research into the media & entertainment industry, helping you stay ahead of the most important consumer trends. 

Welcome to our media & entertainment insights briefing,

In this monthly email, we will curate the most important insights from our team of industry, political and economic experts and deliver them right in your inbox. Consider it your one stop shop for the data you need to know about the media & entertainment industry.

We’re kicking off by exploring which social media platforms wealthier Americans overindex on. Then, we’re diving into how much Gen Alpha is spending online. Plus, we take a look at what consumers are prioritizing from social media brands. 

Read on for recent insights into these topics and more, or view our site for a deeper dive.

Where the wealthiest Americans are spending time on social media

Ultra-high income individuals use social media a bit differently than the rest of us. First, they’re more likely to use LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Yelp at much higher rates than the general population. LinkedIn of course makes sense given that level of income typically goes to white-collar workers, LinkedIn’s key audience. 

The who and why of wealthy individuals’ social media usage is revealing: they’re more likely than the average respondent to follow fitness experts, journalists and news organizations, and brands online. There’s a clear bent toward using social media to stay informed and ahead of the curve. When asked why they use social media, wealthy respondents were more likely than average to say for networking and business reasons, exemplified in their outsized use of LinkedIn. See more about the ultra-wealthy consumer here, including a brand ranking of their top 20 standout favorite brands.

The press is no longer more trusted than Trump

The national political press began Donald Trump’s first term in 2017 with a slight trust advantage over the president, but that’s no longer the case. According to Morning Consult’s April 18-20 survey, voters are evenly divided (at 37%) when asked whether they trust the national political press or the Trump White House more to tell the truth, eroding a 6-point advantage the media held when we first asked this question eight years ago. 

In an unsurprising development, Republicans have become even more likely to trust Trump more (from 65% to 72%). But interestingly, Democrats’ confidence in the political press has fallen a bit (from 66% to 61%). See more here about how trust in the media is shifting overtime, including a look at what type of outlets consumers trust the most.

How much time Gen Alpha spends online

Large majorities of the oldest Alphas (ages 9-11) now own or have access to a tablet, smartphone, game console and laptop computer.  But what, exactly, are they doing on all of these devices? Among other things, lots of video streaming and social media scrolling. In fact, approximately half (48%) of all Alphas use social media for up to four hours each day, and this number jumps to 63% by age 9.

While Alphas’ internet experiences are still heavily influenced by their parents — 59% said they retain complete control over what their child sees on social media — these daily usage figures make clear that the youngest generation is already embracing their older counterpart’s affinity for being extremely online. See more here, including charts on Gen Alphas’ content consumption and their favorite brands.

What consumers believe is important for a social media brand to offer

When deciding what social media brand to use, nearly half (48%) of U.S. adults say it’s important for the company to protect their personal data and respect their privacy, the top of any other factor we surveyed on. The intensity of this belief is even stronger for older consumers. Baby boomers are 9 points more likely than U.S. adults to say it’s important for a social media brand they use to protect their data and respect their privacy.

Another attribute many consumers agree is important for a social media brand is trust: 2 in 5 consumers say it’s important they trust a social media brand to act responsibly when deciding to use it. Our recent pulse check on what consumers think is most important when choosing a brand showed trust rose to the top of the list for a wide variety of industries. Explore other industry-specific insights here.

Where different generations are hearing about tariffs

Generationally, older consumers are most likely to say they have heard “a lot” or “some” about tariffs, tracking with other Morning Consult research that shows that news consumption goes up with age. Roughly 3 in 5 Gen Zers (61%) say they have heard “a lot” or “some” about tariffs, trailing more than 20 points compared with baby boomers who said the same. Gen Z adults also have totally different consumption habits and, on tariffs, are vastly more likely to say they get their information from social media (80%), compared with baby boomers, who are much more likely to get their information from broadcast and cable news. See our complete catalog of tariff research here.

Want more insights? Dive into additional analysis from our team of experts below.

• Anti-Americanism Continues to Pressure U.S. Brands But Exposure Varies Widely: Amid the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff threats, the average U.S. brand is faring okay. But the hardest hit among them continue to see steep declines in purchase consideration in Europe, North America and China.
• How Ozempic Users Are Spending, Feeling While Taking the Drugs: GLP-1 users report higher spending on discretionary products and services, including movie and concert tickets.
• 2025 State of Workers Report. How a frozen job market, AI, political disruption, and more are shaping Americans' feelings about work.