Americans are feeling worn out by the amount of news coverage over the past few weeks, and currently, this trend seems to be rising. Those that say they are tired of all the news coverage have grown seven percentage points in just two weeks.
This increase is not surprising when we look at news engagement with the Russia-Ukraine war. While this story is still very prevalent, CivicScience data has seen a dramatic drop (19 percentage points) in those following it very closely from its start to now.
Right-leaning Americans are news exhausted.
Like so many other issues facing Americans, this one too has a political angle worth mentioning. Currently, the more left-leaning are relatively satisfied with recent news coverage. Republicans, on the other hand, are not. Two out of five say they are tired of all the news coverage they have been seeing.
We unequivocally know that conservatives are less trusting of the media to deliver unbiased news. We also know that those that don’t trust the media are far more likely to feel news fatigue. So, it appears that trust plays a role in this as well—the less confidence in the news, the higher the fatigue.
Interestingly, these discrepancies weren’t nearly as significant when looking at other demographic traits like race, age, and gender. Although younger adults are most likely to say they wish there were more news coverage. When looking at those wanting more news, nearly three out of five are under 45. They are also more diverse, early adopters, most influenced by ads on the internet, and probably of no surprise, more likely to lean left politically (data not shown).
Tell me something good.
News fatigue likely is why overall news consumption has declined, as discussed in a recent CivicScience article. Yet, there has been an uptick in U.S. adults following lifestyle topics like cooking and music. Americans collectively appear tired of hearing bad news and want content that makes them feel good. The balancing act of what type of content and how much to deliver is essential in keeping Americans well-informed and engaged.
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