When Lori Johnson Malveaux’s husband tunes into the news about the presidential election, she takes it as her cue to step out of the room. She finds the constant political updates overwhelming and prefers to watch lighthearted movies on channels like Hallmark or BET to unwind. Malveaux is not alone in feeling the need to limit her intake of political news, with approximately 6 in 10 Americans sharing the sentiment, according to a recent survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts.
Malveaux, a 54-year-old Democrat, emphasized that although she plans to vote, she often finds the political rhetoric exhausting. She expressed frustration at times when news sources challenge events she has personally witnessed, such as the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, leaving her feeling as though she’s being gaslit.
On the other end of the political spectrum, 23-year-old Republican Caleb Pack from Ardmore, Oklahoma, also experiences media fatigue despite actively trying to stay informed by diversifying his news sources, including CNN, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The Associated Press. Pack mentioned feeling bombarded by the constant stream of news, noting the extremity of viewpoints on both sides.
Media fatigue related to politics is not a new trend, with surveys showing that a substantial portion of the population has felt overwhelmed by the volume of news in recent years. The AP-NORC/USAFacts survey highlighted that while half of Americans feel the need to limit their news consumption regarding crime or global affairs, fewer are inclined to restrict their exposure to economic or job-related news.
Many attribute the feeling of information overload to the plethora of political content available on television and online platforms, often further complicated by misinformation. Richard Coffin, from USAFacts, acknowledged the challenge people face in discerning the accuracy of what they encounter amidst the abundance of information.
The survey also revealed that women are more likely than men to report the need to limit their media intake, particularly when it comes to politics. Additionally, white adults tend to be more inclined than Black or Hispanic adults to feel the need to minimize their exposure to political news.
The impact of excessive political content extends to mental health, as highlighted by Kaleb Aravzo, a 19-year-old Democrat from Logan, Utah. Aravzo shared how an oversaturation of politics, especially on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression, prompting him to scroll past such content.
The poll was conducted between July 29 and August 8, 2024, surveying 1,019 adults and utilizing NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel to ensure a representative sample of the U.S. population. The margin of error for the respondents is approximately plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
