Knight Foundation-NORC Poll: Majority of Americans view libraries as an essential public service

Polls consistently show that communities across the country hold their libraries in especially high regard, and that trust has remained durable, even as trust in civic institutions has declined. But libraries cannot be sustained on trust alone. While funding for public libraries varies by community, the vast majority are funded almost entirely by local tax dollars.

Knight Foundation seeks to understand key issues facing civic institutions like public libraries, where we’re among the nation’s largest funders. So we partnered with NORC to help close a gap in understanding: not just whether people trust libraries, but whether they see them as a valued public service in their community.

Here’s what we heard:

A majority of adults in the United States – across every age, race, party affiliation and income group measured – view their local public library as an essential public service.

• 93% of adults overall view libraries as an essential or valuable public service.
• Sixty-three percent of adults say their local public library is an essential public service, and 31% say it is valuable but not an essential public service. Only 6% say it is neither valuable nor an essential public service.

Specific library services – including book access, internet access, classes and community space – are valued especially highly.

• In a world with an abundance of free information, 81% cite the value of libraries giving people access to books, media and information.
• Two-thirds or more see high value in other library services.

Most Americans view their local public library as an asset to the community. They also view their local public library as valuable to them personally, regardless of how often they visit. 

• Sixty-two percent of adults say their local public library is extremely or very valuable to their community, another 30% say it is somewhat valuable and only 8% say it is not valuable.

Nearly all adults say cuts to their local public library would affect their community.

• The vast majority (93%) of the public thinks that budget cuts to their local public library would have an impact on their community, with 45% thinking that impact would be major and 47% saying it would be minor. Few believe it would have no impact (7%).

While most groups have positive associations with their local public library, some groups are especially favorable toward them.

• Women are consistently more positive toward libraries, their services and their potential impact than men.
• College graduates and adults age 30+ are more likely to recognize public libraries’ personal and community value and anticipate an impact to their community from a budget cut than those without a degree or younger adults.
• Democrats are more likely to recognize the personal and community value of public libraries, express strong support for library services and see cuts to library funding as having a major impact on their community compared to Republicans.

For more on these findings, read the fact sheet here.
Download the full data set here.