--
PBS and Member Stations Mark 10 Years as America's Most Trusted Institution
and an Excellent Use of Tax Dollars
National Research Again Confirms PBS KIDS as the Most Educational TV/Media Brand, the Safest On-Air and Online Destination for Children and the Top Provider of Content That Helps Children Learn Reading, Math and Essential Skills
ARLINGTON, VA February 21, 2013 An annual national survey conducted over the last 10 years has consistently confirmed that PBS and its member stations are ranked first in trust among nationally known institutions and are considered an excellent use of tax dollars by the American public. The yearly study has also called PBS the most fair network for news and public affairs 10 consecutive times. In the most current round of research, PBS KIDS was named the most educational TV/media brand, the safest destination for children to watch television or visit online, and the top provider of content that helps children learn reading, math and essential skills. In each question, PBS KIDS significantly outscored cable and commercial broadcast television.
The research was conducted in January 2013 by the independent, non-partisan research firm ORC International. Each year, PBS commissions research to measure its performance and value as judged by its most important stakeholder the American public.
I am deeply grateful that for a full decade the people of our country have stated that PBS has earned their trust and delivered an excellent value in return on their investment, said PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. The consistent results we find in this national research confirm that the American public see PBS and our member stations staying true to our mission providing trusted content that can't be found elsewhere, and treating our audience as citizens, not simply consumers.
PBS Ranks #1 in Public Trust Nearly Twice the Level of Trust Than Courts of Law
More than 4 in 5 people trust PBS (85% trust a great deal or trust somewhat). The 2013 study marks the 10th time in a row that PBS was called the nation's most-trusted institution among a consideration set that includes courts of law, newspapers, and others. The study found that respondents had nearly twice the level of trust in PBS (46% trust a great deal) over the nearest institution, courts of law (27% trust a great deal).
PBS Considered Top Use of Tax Dollars
- Only military defense outranked PBS as the best value for the American tax dollar. Three-quarters (75%) of those polled called PBS an excellent (22%) or good (52%) use of their tax dollars. Military defense was described as excellent or good by 77% (27% excellent or 50% good).
- Nearly 3 in 4 participants (76%) believe federal funding for PBS is money well spent.
PBS Named the Most Fair Network
More than 4 in 10 respondents (43%) called PBS' news coverage, investigations and discussions of issues mostly fair (when asked to choose among liberal, mostly fair and conservative). PBS outscored all other sources in the mostly fair category, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News and MSNBC.
PBS KIDS Called #1 Educational TV/Media Brand, Top Builder of Critical Skills, and Safest On-Air and Online Destination
- More than 4 in 10 respondents (44%) named PBS KIDS the most educational TV/media brand, significantly outscoring the second most highly rated brand, Disney, which was considered most educational by 12%.
- Eighty-six percent (86%) agreed strongly or somewhat that PBS helps children improve their reading and math skills. Cable and commercial broadcast television received this rating from 51% and 43% of respondents, respectively.
- Eighty-one percent (81%) agreed strongly or somewhat that PBS helps prepare children for success in school and life. This statement was equated with cable television and commercial broadcast television by 48% and 44% of participants, respectively.
- Eighty-eight percent (88%) agreed strongly or somewhat that PBS is a trusted and safe place for children to watch television. Fifty-one percent (51%) and 49% of respondents agreed with this statement regarding cable and commercial broadcast television, respectively.
- More than 3 in 4 respondents (78%) agreed strongly or somewhat that PBS is a trusted and safe place for children to visit online, while this statement was attributed to cable television and commercial broadcasters by only 41% and 37% of the sample, respectively.
- Eighty-one percent (81%) agreed strongly or somewhat that PBS is the innovator in children's educational media. Forty-seven percent (47%) and 40% of participants also applied this statement to cable and commercial broadcast television, respectively.
Public broadcasting is America's largest classroom, its biggest stage for the arts and a trusted window to the world, providing a place for all Americans to access new ideas and information to help every citizen build a brighter future.
Full results are available at http://to.pbs.org/most-trusted-2013.
Survey Methodology
The 2013 Public Opinion Poll was conducted by phone within the United States by ORC International's DualFrame CARAVAN on behalf of PBS from January 10-14, 2013 among 1,014 adults ages 18 and older. The sample included 512 men and 502 women. The DualFrame CARAVAN is a nationally representative phone survey of adults conducted on both landlines and cell phones.
For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Jan McNamara, PBS Corporate Communications, jmcnamara@pbs.org or 703-739-5028.
# # #
About PBS
PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 120 million people through tele
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
-- 
