Age is one of the clearest dividing lines in Americans’ relationship with news. Differences show up in how people encounter news, how much importance they place on getting news regularly, and how news fits into their daily lives and civic responsibilities.
These findings are based on a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults aimed at understanding how Americans are thinking about and experiencing news today. Read key findings from the full study.
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| They mostly get news because they’re looking for it | They mostly get news because they happen to come across it | |
|---|---|---|
| All U.S. adults | 50% | 49% |
| Ages 18-29 | 27% | 73% |
| 30-49 | 42% | 57% |
| 50-64 | 60% | 40% |
| 65+ | 73% | 26% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
Perhaps the starkest divergence involves the way people of different ages encounter news. Older Americans are much more likely to be news seekers – people who say they mostly get news because they are looking for it. Younger adults tend to get news because they happen to come across it.
About three-quarters of adults under 30 (73%) say they mostly get news because they happen to come across it. An identical share of those 65 and older (73%) say they mostly get news because they are looking for it.
Similarly, the two youngest age groups – those ages 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 – are less likely than older adults to say they closely follow international, national or local news.
These differing approaches are also reflected in how Americans think about staying informed and in how much importance they place on regularly consuming news.
We asked respondents which comes closer to their view: whether they need to actively follow the news to stay informed, or if they can stay informed even if they don’t actively follow the news. Adults ages 65 and older are the only age group in which a majority say they need to actively follow it. All other age groups are more likely to say the opposite.
“I think [news] follows me,” a woman in her 20s said in focus group discussions held as part of this study. “I feel like I can’t get away from information nowadays.”
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Age | Percent |
|---|---|
| 65+ | 65% |
| 50-64 | 50% |
| 30-49 | 40% |
| Ages 18-29 | 35% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
The survey also included a series of questions about whether people think different news habits are important. Younger adults are less likely to say it’s important to get news on a regular basis at all. About a third of adults under 30 (35%) and 40% of those ages 30 to 49 see this as extremely or very important for people to do, compared with half of those 50 to 64 and 65% of those 65 and older.
Meanwhile, majorities of adults in all age groups say it is extremely or very important to avoid sharing inaccurate information and to get news from multiple sources. And about half or more in each age group say the same about getting news from sources with a range of political views.
“The right way [to consume news] to me is to consume it from multiple sources, on every side, so that you can get the facts, make sure the facts align all across,” a man in his 30s said.
Age differences in views toward news as a civic duty
Americans of different age groups also differ in the responsibilities they associate with being a good member of society – including following the news.
Older adults are more likely than younger adults to consider several civic duties highly important, such as voting in elections, paying taxes and serving jury duty.
But one of the starkest differences involves following the news: Those ages 65 and older are far more likely than adults under 50 to say following the news is extremely or very important to being a good member of society (58% vs. 32%).
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| Ages 65+ | 50-64 | 30-49 | 18-29 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote in elections | 89% | 83% | 69% | 64% |
| Respect the opinions and beliefs of those you disagree with | 64% | 63% | 61% | 61% |
| Pay taxes | 76% | 72% | 58% | 55% |
| Volunteer to help others | 56% | 55% | 53% | 55% |
| Serve jury duty if you are called | 71% | 63% | 50% | 45% |
| Follow the news | 58% | 43% | 32% | 32% |
| Attend rallies or protests on issues you think are important | 14% | 13% | 17% | 22% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
“Because we have to vote,” a woman in her 50s said. “We’re going to have to make decisions, ongoing, about who to trust and what to do and where to put our money and how to protect our safety. … So the news is important for that.”
Even so, following news ranks toward the bottom of the list of the civic activities we asked about for all age groups.
Younger adults report less time for news and find it less relevant
Adults under 50 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they don’t have enough time to follow the news.
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
| I don’t have enough time to follow the news | I have enough time to follow the news | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 18-29 | 44% | 45% |
| 30-49 | 43% | 45% |
| 50-64 | 30% | 63% |
| 65+ | 18% | 72% |
| I am worn out by the amount of news there is these days | I am not worn out by the amount of news there is these days | |
| Ages 18-29 | 55% | 32% |
| 30-49 | 58% | 29% |
| 50-64 | 49% | 38% |
| 65+ | 42% | 41% |
| Most of the news I come across is not relevant to my life | Most of the news I come across is relevant to my life | |
| Ages 18-29 | 52% | 33% |
| 30-49 | 51% | 31% |
| 50-64 | 46% | 38% |
| 65+ | 41% | 41% |
“Americans’ Complicated Relationship With News”
News fatigue is also higher among younger Americans: 57% of adults under 50 say they’re worn out by the amount of news there is these days, compared with 46% of those ages 50 and older. (A similar question we asked in 2019 did not find age differences.)
“I get so tired of it, I have to turn away,” a man in his 40s said. “What’s that saying? Was it one of those mafia movies? ‘I try to get away, you pull me right back in.’”
About half of adults under 50 (52%) say most of the news they come across is not relevant to their lives, compared with 44% of those 50 and older. And one-in-five adults under 30 say it’s hard for them to understand the news they come across, slightly higher than all other age groups.
“There’s some times where … you may not have the time to really understand something at the level that it needs to be understood,” a man in his 40s explained. “There are certain stories that … you can’t consume the entire thing in two minutes to really understand it. You have to put more time into it. Not everyone has that.”
