Young voters get their politics from creators. Only some of them are moved by it.

Why it matters: Campaigns are spending real money on creator programs heading into 2026. The poll suggests voters are watching, but they are not sold on the arrangement, and disclosure does not fix that.

By the numbers:

• 35% get political information from creators at least somewhat often. 29% never do.
• 50% trust political information from influencers less than they trust national news organizations. 15% trust it more.
• 13% say a creator they originally followed for non-political content changed their mind on a political or social issue. 72% say no.
• 48% say campaigns should not be allowed to pay influencers to promote candidates even when the payments are disclosed. 18% say they should.
• 47% say they trust a creator less after learning a political post was paid for by a campaign. Only 11% trust them more.

Between the lines: Among voters under 35, Trump and Harris voters report almost identical exposure to creator content, roughly 6 in 10 for both. What separates them is persuasion. 35% of young Trump voters say a creator changed their mind, compared with 19% of young Harris voters. Same media diet, different effect.

The catch for campaigns: Disclosure is usually pitched as the fix for paid political content. Voters do not treat it that way. Support for paid promotion stays low even when the question specifies that payments are disclosed, and disclosure itself costs creators trust with nearly half the electorate.

No consensus on who polices it: 29% say the campaign should be primarily responsible for telling voters when political content is paid for, 20% say the government, 16% say the influencer, and 14% say the platform. Another 20% are not sure. No single answer clears a third.

One more thing: Asked to name the single most important technology issue in their vote, misinformation topped the list at 20%, ahead of national security threats from tech companies or foreign governments at 12% and data privacy at 10%.

Go deeper: Download full toplines and crosstabs (PDF)

For analysis of what these numbers do and don't show, see Katie Harbath's breakdown on Anchor Change: 35 Percent of Young Trump Voters Say an Online Creator Changed Their Mind

Rainey Center July Omnibus. 1,017 registered voters, online panel, fielded July 14 to 15, 2026. Weighted to race, 2024 vote, age, education, and gender. Margin of error ±3.5 percentage points. Polling questions developed in partnership with Katie Harbath, founder of Anchor Change and a member of the Rainey Center's Advisory Board.