{"id":10198,"date":"2020-02-26T10:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T15:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T01:16:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T06:16:42","slug":"almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/02\/26\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans\u2019 news fatigue isn\u2019t going away \u2013 about two-thirds still feel worn out"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days \u2013 a feeling that has persisted for several years now.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/02\/26\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/ft_2020-02-26_newsfatigue_01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ft_2020.02.26_newsfatigue_01.png\" alt=\"Around two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the news, about the same share as in 2018\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two-thirds of Americans (66%) feel worn out by the amount of news there is, while far fewer (32%) say they like the amount of news they are getting, according to a Pew Research Center survey of more than 12,000 U.S. adults conducted in October and November of last year \u2013 the first survey in the Center\u2019s nearly yearlong <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topics\/election-news-pathways\/\">Election News Pathways<\/a> project. This feeling of news fatigue hasn\u2019t escaped journalists either, some of whom have voiced their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/the_media_today\/trump-news-cycle.php\">exhaustion with the news cycle<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2018\/12\/alert-alert-the-information-demands-on-the-modern-digital-journalist-are-overwhelming-and-leading-to-burnout\/\">the seemingly endless stream of information<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans\u2019 exhaustion with the news <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/06\/05\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/\">hasn\u2019t changed since early 2018<\/a> \u2013 the last time the Center asked this question \u2013 when 68% felt worn out. And in a similar question asked <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2016\/07\/14\/most-americans-already-feel-election-coverage-fatigue\/\">several months before the 2016 presidential election<\/a> between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, nearly six-in-ten (59%) felt worn out by the amount of coverage of the campaign and candidates.<!--more--><\/p>\n\n<div style=\"border-width:1px;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);--block-gap: inherit\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible has-background has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-border-color has-ui-beige-dark-border-color\" id=\"how-we-did-this\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/collapsible&quot;}\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;collapsibleId&quot;:&quot;how-we-did-this&quot;,&quot;isOpen&quot;:false}\" data-wp-class--is-open=\"context.isOpen\" data-wp-init--scroll-into-view=\"callbacks.onInitScrollIntoView\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__title\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\"><div>How we did this<\/div><button class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__icon\"><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"context.isOpen\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-plus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-plus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!context.isOpen\" hidden><i class=\"icon icon-library__light icon__circle-minus\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/light.svg#circle-minus\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-collapsible__content\"><h1 id=\"how-we-did-this\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How we did this<\/h1><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To examine Americans\u2019 news fatigue, we used data from a broad survey of 12,043 U.S. adults conducted in October and November 2019 \u2013 the first survey in the Center\u2019s nearly yearlong <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topics\/election-news-pathways\/\">Election News Pathways<\/a> project.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone who took part is a member of Pew Research Center\u2019s American Trends Panel, an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Recruiting our panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole population (see our <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/05\/12\/methods-101-random-sampling\/\">Methods 101 explainer<\/a> on random sampling). To further ensure that each survey reflects a balanced cross section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/01\/PJ_2020.01.24_Media-Polarization_TOPLINE.pdf\">the questions asked<\/a> in this survey, along with responses, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/01\/24\/media-polarization-methodology\/\">methodology<\/a>. Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/\">interactive data tool<\/a> to access the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/newsamount\/\">data on news fatigue<\/a> and other issues related to news and the election.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/02\/26\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/ft_2020-02-26_newsfatigue_02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ft_2020.02.26_newsfatigue_02.png\" alt=\"Republicans more likely than Democrats to feel worn out by the amount of news these days\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Large shares of people in both political parties have news fatigue, but the feeling is more common among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Three-quarters of Republicans say they are worn out by the amount of news there is, compared with 59% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. This 16 percentage point gap between partisans was similar in 2018. (Find survey data on news fatigue by party, demographics and media traits in our <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/newsamount\/\">Election News Pathways interactive data tool<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/02\/26\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/ft_2020-02-26_newsfatigue_03\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ft_2020.02.26_newsfatigue_03.png\" alt=\"In both parties, news fatigue is more common among those who aren\u2019t closely following political news\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">News fatigue is more widespread among the least engaged political news consumers. Nearly three-quarters of those who follow political and election news \u201cnot too\u201d or \u201cnot at all closely\u201d feel exhausted by the news (73%), higher than the share among those who follow political news \u201csomewhat\u201d (66%) or \u201cvery\u201d closely (56%). A similar pattern emerges with engagement with politics more generally: Those who discuss politics a few times a month or less are 10 percentage points more likely to feel news fatigue than those who do so nearly every day (69% vs. 59%). Those who talk about politics a few times a week fall in between at 65%. (It should be noted that the question asked about fatigue about news generally, not specifically about political or election-related news.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats who are more engaged with news about politics and the election are the least likely to feel worn out. In fact, while majorities in all other groups feel news fatigue, Democrats who very closely follow political news are about evenly split \u2013 roughly half feel worn out (47%), while 52% like the amount of news there is these days. By comparison, nearly two-thirds of Republicans who very closely follow political news (66%) feel worn out.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2020\/02\/26\/almost-seven-in-ten-americans-have-news-fatigue-more-among-republicans\/ft_2020-02-26_newsfatigue_04\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ft_2020.02.26_newsfatigue_04.png\" alt=\"News fatigue more common among whites than blacks and Hispanics\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to differences by party and level of news engagement, one demographic divide stands out: race and ethnicity. Roughly three-quarters of white Americans (72%) feel news fatigue, 17 percentage points higher than both black (55%) and Hispanic Americans (55%) \u2013 and again similar to the divide measured in 2018. Women are also slightly more likely than men to feel worn out by the amount of news there is (69% vs. 63%). But this sense of exhaustion with the news is about on par across age groups and levels of education.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Interested in exploring the data further, seeing more data like this or conducting your own analysis? Visit our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/\"><em>interactive data tool<\/em><\/a><em> to access the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/pathways-2020\/NEWSAMOUNT\"><em>data on news fatigue<\/em><\/a><em> and other issues related to news and the election.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Here are <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2020\/01\/PJ_2020.01.24_Media-Polarization_TOPLINE.pdf\"><em>the questions asked<\/em><\/a><em> in this survey, along with responses, and the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2020\/01\/24\/media-polarization-methodology\/\"><em>methodology<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: This is an update to a post originally published on June 5, 2018.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days \u2013 a feeling that has persisted for several years 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two-thirds of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news","description":"66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days \u2013 a feeling that has persisted for several years now.","og_title":"Americans\u2019 news fatigue isn\u2019t going away \u2013 about two-thirds still feel worn out","og_description":"66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days \u2013 a feeling that has persisted for several years now.","schema_type":"Article","noindex":false,"canonical_url":"","primary_terms":[],"custom_schema":[],"twitter_title":"Americans\u2019 news fatigue isn\u2019t going away \u2013 about two-thirds still feel worn out","twitter_description":"66% of Americans feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days \u2013 a feeling that has persisted for several years 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