A sore subject: Almost half of Americans have stopped talking politics with someone
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have stopped discussing political and election news with someone: 50% vs. 41%, respectively.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have stopped discussing political and election news with someone: 50% vs. 41%, respectively.
Americans who closely follow political news are more likely to have confidence that the public will accept election results. And that’s true across party boundaries.
Concern is highest among people who follow political news most closely, older adults and those who display more knowledge about politics in general.
Responses to cable news coverage and the pandemic vary notably among Americans who identify Fox News, MSNBC or CNN as their main source of political news.
Both Democrats and Republicans express far more distrust than trust of social media sites as sources for political and election news.
As the U.S. enters a heated 2020 presidential election year, Republicans and Democrats place their trust in two nearly inverse news media environments.
More than half of these social media news consumers say they have encountered made-up news about COVID-19.
In total, 20% of all Democrats get political news only from outlets with left-leaning audiences, while 18% of all Republicans do so only from outlets with right-leaning audiences.
The percentage who say journalists have exaggerated the risks of the outbreak has decreased notably in recent weeks.
More than two-thirds of adults ages 65 or older said they were following news of the pandemic very closely.
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