Few Americans pay for news when they encounter paywalls

Summary

Compilation of major news outlets’ paywalls prompting readers to become paid subscribers to view their content. (Pew Research Center collage) Newspaper revenue has been in decline for decades, and most Americans now prefer to get news from digital devices. In this environment, many news organizations – and not just newspapers – put paywalls on their websites or apps, blocking access to articles or other content unless news consumers pay or subscribe. The vast majority of Americans (83%) say they have not paid for news in the past year, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March. Another 17% say they have directly paid or given money to a news source by subscribing, donating or becoming a member during that time. At the same time, 74% run into paywalls at least sometimes when they are looking for news online. This includes 38% who say they come across paywalled articles extremely often or often. How we did this Pew Research Center asked these questions to better understand Americans’ habits and attitudes around paying for news. We were also interested in their experiences with paywalls that block articles unless news consumers pay. For this analysis, we surveyed 9,482 U.S. adults from March 10 to 16, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology. What people do when they reach a paywall The survey also asked anyone who said they ever come ac...