• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Blame it on fatigue, or on distrust of the media. But U.S. adults are much less likely to closely follow the news than they were in 2016, according to a study by Pew Research.  

In 2016, 51% followed the news all or most of the time. This year, 36% are doing so.  

This could dramatically affect ad and circulation revenue for publications.  

Among consumers, 38% now follow news some of the time, compared to 31% in 2016. And 18% seek it out it only now and then, versus 12% in 2016.  

The downturn in interest has occurred across all age groups.  

In 2016, 75% of people in the 65+ age category followed the news all or most of the time, compared to 62% today.  

Similarly, 61% of those in the 50-64 age cohort were avid news followers in 2016, and that percentage dropped to 45% today. 

Millennials — readers in the 30-49 age group — have dipped from 46% in 2016 to 26% today.

And Gen Zers — people ages 18-29 — barely track. The percentage of Gen Z news followers declined from 27% in 2016 to 15%, although this figure is questionable, since some would have still been children in 2016.  

This lack of interest is shared by members of both major political parties. In 2016, 57% of Republicans and those who lean Republican followed news closely. They were joined by 49% of Democrats or those who lean that way.  

And now? Democrats lead, but with a mere number of 39%. And Republicans are now down to 26%. 

Now this shift may be based on trust. Republican faith in both national and local news outlets has declined since 2016, and Republicans are less likely to believe many major news sources. 

Meanwhile, 54% of Americans say they mostly get political news because they happen on it. But 45% go looking for it.