Heavy Day-To-Day News Followers Continue Trending Down
- by Wayne Friedman , October 25, 2023
In what may give some TV news networks and local TV stations some pause going into next year’s Presidential and Senate election period, only 38% of U.S. adults “closely follow the news,” according to a just-released 2022 Pew Research study.
This is virtually the same level as the prior year -- but down from a 51% level in 2016. Pew defines these viewers as those who say they follow the news “all or most of the time.”
Pew said the declining percentages are seen across all demographic groups -- including the most ardent news followers -- those age 65 years and older, who are now at a 64% level (dropping from 75% in 2016).
Younger news followers continue to have the worst results, with 30-49 viewers down to a 27% level (compared to 46% in 2016), while 18-29 viewers are at 19% (down from 27% in 2016).
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Pew says Republican-leaning viewers have dropped more steeply among those who follow the news “all or most of the time” to 37% from 57% (in 2016). Democrat-leading viewers have seen much slighter declines -- 42% (in 2022) from 49% (2016).
Pew Research Center analysis of its most recent news survey was conducted with 12,147 U.S. adults from July 18 to August 21, 2022.
The difference between democratic party supporters and those who favor the GOP in this study and , most likely, in recent ones, is probably explained--in part--- by the persistent anti-news media campaign waged by Trump and his supporters since 2016. If you buy the idea that the news media in general is presenting false or biased informtion, it would be natural to say that you are following "the news" put out by the news media less intensively. Whether that is really true---and you--- a respondent in this survey---- have actually cut back significantly on your news consumption is open to question.
Absolutely Ed. While the questions remain the same the environment respondents live in has radically changed. The "socially acceptable" answer would be that one is watching less news. Now, "news fatigue," I feel is very real, with many media outlets reporting on every Trump tweet, his multiple court appearances, and now the steady stream of his senior aides flipping to get a less severe sentence is making everyone exhausted!