Roughly 2 out of 5 Americans believe it’s important to receive news from journalists who share their political views, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. Americans prioritize journalists’ alignment with political views over religious views, age, race, gender, and communication style.
Conservative Republicans (47%) and liberal Democrats (50%) emphasize the importance of news from politically aligned journalists. Meanwhile, moderate Republicans (29%) and moderate Democrats (33%) express similar sentiments.
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Regarding religion, white evangelicals (33%) and Black Protestants (37%) are more likely to seek news from journalists who share their religious views. In contrast, only 10% of Jewish Americans feel the same way.
Black Americans (41%), more than any other racial or ethnic group, consider it important to receive news from journalists who share their race or ethnicity. Approximately 25% of Hispanic Americans, 20% of Asian Americans, and just 5% of white Americans share this perspective.
News consumption habits are evolving among Americans. Pew Research Center findings reveal a shift toward online sources rather than traditional TV or print media:
The percentage of adults closely following local news has declined since 2018, when 41% received local news via TV. By 2024, this figure dropped to 32%.
In 2018, slightly over a third of Americans obtained news online. Now, nearly half of Americans rely on online sources.
A significant majority of Americans (85%) believe that local journalism is crucial for their communities. Both Republicans and Democrats acknowledge that local media and journalists are performing their roles well.
However, less than half of Americans are satisfied with the coverage of various topics in their local news.
When asked about the financial state of local news outlets, 63% of Americans believe their local news stations are either “doing well” or “somewhat well.” Despite this, local news outlets have faced serious advertising challenges in recent years.
LAUREN TAYLOR: ROUGHLY 2 OUT OF 5 AMERICANS SAY – IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET NEWS FROM JOURNALISTS WHO SHARE THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS. THIS – ACCORDING TO A NEW SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER.
AMERICANS SAY JOURNALISTS’ SHARING THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SHARING THEIR RELIGIOUS VIEWS, AGE, RACE, GENDER AND THE WAY THEY TALK.
47% OF CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS AND 50% OF LIBERAL DEMOCRATS SAY IT’S IMPORTANT TO GET NEWS FROM JOURNALISTS WHO SHARE THEIR POLITICAL BELIEFS.
29% OF MODERATE REPUBLICANS AND 33% OF MODERATE DEMOCRATS SAY THE SAME.
NEWS CONSUMPTION HABITS ARE ALSO CHANGING AMONGST AMERICANS.
PEW ALSO FOUND A SHIFT IN HOW AMERICANS GET THEIR LOCAL NEWS. WITH A MOVE TO ONLINE – RATHER THAN FROM TV OR PRINT.
THE SHARE OF ADULTS PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO LOCAL NEWS HAS DROPPED SINCE 2018 WHEN 41% OF AMERICANS SAID THEY RECEIVED THEIR LOCAL NEWS ON THE TV – COMPARED TO 32% IN 2024.
IN 2018 JUST OVER A THIRD OF AMERICANS SAID THEY GOT THEIR NEWS ONLINE – AND NOW – THAT SHARE HAS RISEN TO NEARLY HALF.
AND A LARGE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS – SAY – LOCAL JOURNALISM IS IMPORTANT FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES – WITH MAJORITIES OF BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SAYING LOCAL MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS IN THEIR AREAS ARE DOING THEIR JOBS WELL.
HOWEVER – FEWER THAN HALF AMERICANS ARE HAPPY WITH THE COVERAGE THEY SEE OF MANY TOPICS ON THEIR LOCAL NEWS.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE FINANCIAL STATE OF LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS – 63% OF AMERICANS SAID THEY BELIEVE THEIR LOCAL NEWS STATIONS WERE “DOING WELL” OR “SOMEWHAT WELL” – HOWEVER – IN RECENT YEARS, LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS HAVE FACED SERIOUS ADVERTISING CHALLENGES.
AS AMERICANS CHANGE THEIR NEWS CONSUMPTION HABITS – WE’LL SEE IN THE COMING YEARS HOW LOCAL NEWS STATIONS MAKE CHANGES TO STAY RELEVANT.
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