Americans Have Complicated Relationship With News, Research Finds

Most Americans feel a civic responsibility to be informed when they vote, yet many are overwhelmed, skeptical and selective about how they engage with news, a Pew Research Center study finds.

In a survey, few respondents said that regularly following news is “extremely” or “very” important to them in general, and roughly half said they can stay informed even if they don’t actively follow the news. Americans surveyed were evenly split between those who seek out news and those who let news find them. 

News fatigue is widespread, Pew found. About half of U.S. adults surveyed said they’re worn out by the quantity of news these days. People are more likely to say most of the news they encounter is not relevant to their lives than to say it is relevant. 

Following the news often feels like an obligation, the research found. Only about 10% of the Americans surveyed said they follow news solely because they enjoy it. Two-thirds said they have stopped getting news from a specific source. Six-in-ten said they have reduced their overall news consumption.

“News has a way of affecting us in different ways,” said a man in his 50s who participated in a focus group for the study. “It can affect our financial wealth. It can affect our physical health. It can affect whether we decide to go out the door that day or not. For me, it’s a critical part, a routine part, of my day.”

At least a third of respondents said the news doesn’t help them in making their daily decisions. — Greg Beaubien