Republicans who rely most on Trump for COVID-19 news see the outbreak differently from those who don’t
Among Republicans, opinions about the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. differ considerably by source of news.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Among Republicans, opinions about the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. differ considerably by source of news.
About half of U.S. adults say they get news from social media “often” or “sometimes,” and this use is spread out across a number of different sites. Facebook stands out as a regular source of news for about a third of Americans.
Nearly three out of four U.S. adults say that, in general, it’s important for journalists to function as watchdogs over elected officials.
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.
More Americans hold positive than negative views of the news media’s COVID-19 coverage, but Republicans and Democrats remain starkly divided.
61% give equal attention to national and local coronavirus news.
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