Attention to COVID-19 news drops, but Democrats still substantially more interested than Republicans
The percentage of Americans following news of the pandemic very closely has slipped to its lowest level since the beginning of the outbreak.
More than eight-in-ten Americans get news from digital devices
More than eight-in-ten U.S. adults say they get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet “often” or “sometimes.”
Measuring News Consumption in a Digital Era
As news outlets morph and multiply, both surveys and passive data collection tools face challenges.
Many Americans are unsure whether sources of news do their own reporting
Roughly half of Americans or more were able to correctly identify whether three of the six sources asked about do their own reporting.
Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they’ve seen their own news sources report facts meant to favor one side
59% of Americans say made-up information that is intended to mislead causes a “great deal” of confusion about the 2020 presidential election.
Americans blame unfair news coverage on media outlets, not the journalists who work for them
About eight-in-ten Americans (79%) say news organizations tend to favor one side when presenting the news on political and social issues.
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.
Before Trump Tested Positive for Coronavirus, Republicans’ Attention to Pandemic Had Sharply Declined
About two-thirds of Republicans say the U.S. has controlled the outbreak as much as it could have; 88% of Democrats disagree.
Americans have heard more about clashes between police and protesters than other recent news stories
The public is more likely to have heard “a lot” about ongoing confrontations between police and protesters than several other stories.
Key facts about digital-native news outlets amid staff cuts, revenue losses
Traffic to digital-native news sites has plateaued in recent years. After rising from 2014 to 2016, it remained steady through 2019.
