SaySo survey finds creators are a major source of midterm election news

A new SaySo survey finds 64% of U.S. adults get information about the 2026 midterm elections from online creators, with Gen Z and millennials leading the trend. The findings point to rising creator influence, widespread fact-checking, and growing concern about election-content overload ahead of Election Day.

Why it matters: - Online creators have become a mainstream channel for election information, especially for younger adults. - The survey suggests creators are shaping both what Americans know and how they think about the 2026 midterm elections. - The findings also point to a tension between higher engagement and growing fatigue, mistrust and anxiety around political content.

What happened: - SaySo surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults through YouGov between Sept. 16 and Sept. 28, 2026. - Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults said they get information about the 2026 midterm elections from online creators. - The share was 77% among Gen Z adults ages 18 to 29 and 67% among millennials ages 30 to 45. - Forty-three percent of U.S. adults said they get election news from creators at least weekly. - More than two-thirds of U.S. adults, or 67%, said they are likely to vote in the 2026 midterm elections. - Sixty percent said they are very or somewhat closely following information about the midterms.

The details: - Among adults who get election news from creators at least weekly, 47% said creators cover topics or perspectives they do not get from traditional news media. - Another 39% said creators are more engaging or relatable. - Thirty-seven percent said creators explain complicated issues in an easy-to-understand way. - Thirty-four percent said they already follow creators for other content. - Of those who get election news from creators at least weekly, 52% said creator information has influenced their opinion of a political candidate, issue or the 2026 midterm elections. - Forty-six percent of U.S. adults said they would be likely to listen if a creator they already like and follow started talking about a political issue they had not paid much attention to before. - Among adults who consume creator content about the midterms at least weekly, Gen Z at 61% and millennials at 60% were the most likely to say a creator’s opinion has influenced their views. - The most common response among Gen X, baby boomers and the Silent Generation was that online creators do not influence their views on midterm-related topics. - More than one-third, or 36%, of frequent creator-news consumers said they trust election information from creators and traditional media equally. - Another 34% trust creators more, while 30% trust traditional news more. - Gen Z and Gen X were the most likely generations to trust creators more. - More than half of respondents, or 54%, said they “always” or “often” double-check election information from creators against other sources. - Baby boomers were the most likely to “always” fact-check creator election content, at 27%. - Nearly one-third of U.S. adults, or 30%, said they have encountered the same political stories or claims repeatedly. - Twenty-eight percent said they have become less certain about what information to trust. - Nineteen percent said they have kept scrolling through political content even when it made them feel stressed or anxious. - Gen Z was more likely than older generations to keep scrolling while stressed, at 26% versus 18%. - Gen Z also reported more overwhelm from election-related content on social media, with 25% saying they felt that way versus 13% of people from other generations. - More than one-third, or 37%, of adults who have seen election-related content on social media said it left them feeling neither more nor less informed about the key issues shaping the 2026 midterm elections. - About one in five U.S. adults, or 21%, said they would use AI tools to verify political claims they encounter online. - Seventeen percent said they would use AI to learn about candidates’ positions on key issues. - Another 17% said they would use AI for explanations of political issues or policies. - Fifteen percent said they would use AI to learn about election results. - Fourteen percent said they would use AI to find voting dates and deadlines. - Eleven percent said they would use AI to learn where and how to vote. - Half of respondents, or 50%, said they would not use AI for any of the election-related topics asked about. - SaySo creator and seven-time regional Emmy winner Marc Istook said people still want to be informed, but want news delivered differently. - Cydney Adams, head of product at SaySo and Caliber, said the company built SaySo to help people focus on what matters and feel more informed instead of overwhelmed. - Adams said the app is meant to help people move out of doomscrolling and into content that makes them feel more confident about voting decisions. - The survey margin of error was plus or minus 2.46 percentage points.

Between the lines: - The data shows creators are not just entertainment sources; they are becoming part of the civic information pipeline. - The strong fact-checking rate suggests audiences are not handing over trust blindly, even as creator influence rises. - The Gen Z results point to a generation that is both highly engaged and especially vulnerable to overload from political content. - The AI results show early-stage interest in using artificial intelligence as a political verification tool, but not broad adoption yet. - The split between creator trust and traditional media trust suggests the information ecosystem is fragmenting rather than converging around one dominant source.

What's next: - Caliber brands including The News Movement and The Recount are developing election-focused news and resources for creators. - The Recount recently launched a nonpartisan Creator Voter Guide to help creators share credible and accessible midterm information. - The Recount will host a virtual Midterm Creator Summit on Oct. 6. - The Recount will also hold an in-person creator gathering on Election Night, Nov. 3. - SaySo directed readers to more information.