The perceived ease of sourcing reliable information surrounding the presidential election appears to be a matter of contention amongst Americans. Somewhat of a divide exists, with only 39% of U.S. adults indicating that finding trustworthy information on the 2024 presidential election has been relatively straightforward. Conversely, a smaller proportion of the populace (28%) have experienced difficulty in this quest. A significant 32% fall into an impartial category, claiming it was neither simple nor challenging.
In a slightly amusing show of party bias, Democrats have surprisingly claimed to have an easier time finding this reliable information compared to their Republican counterparts who seem enmeshed in difficulties. Over 50% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents boast of their ability to locate trustworthy election information, in contrast to a measly 29% of Republicans who could assert the same. These perplexed Republicans are also twice as likely as Democrats to proclaim it’s been arduous finding dependable election data.
Interestingly, views fluctuated within the parties along ideological lines. Conservative Republicans increasingly grumbled about locating reliable information, with a higher percentage (42%) highlighting difficulties compared to more moderate or liberal Republicans (35%). Liberal Democrats, perhaps relishing in their inability to discern truth from fiction, were significantly more likely to assert that finding reliable information was a breeze compared to their moderate or conservative counterparts.
Despite perceived difficulties in procuring reliable information, most Americans, 58% to be precise, believe that the news media’s coverage of the 2024 election has been satisfactory – a wildly optimistic view perhaps. A brave 13% even ventured to say the news media’s coverage has been excellent. The remaining 41%, however, were less impressed, criticizing the media’s election coverage as being poor.
It appears that, like in a case of déjà vu, Americans’ views on campaign media coverage mirrors sentiments held during the 2020 election. The Republicans, like the dedicated guardians of truth they are, were more harsh in their evaluation of the election coverage, pointing out the media’s shortcomings. A notable 60% were of the opinion that the news media haven’t done a good job at covering the 2024 presidential campaign.
In the Republicans’ camp, a fascinating trend emerged. Those under the age of 30 were admirably more positive about media’s performance – 51% said the media has done at least a decent job, surpassing the optimism of those from ages 30 to 49, and far outstripping the less impressed older adults. In stark contrast, among Democrats, young adults were recklessly critical of the news media’s election reporting, although an optimistic 69% majority still approved of the media’s performance.
Dismayingly, majority of Americans reported exhaustion with the extensive coverage of the 2024 presidential election – a consistent sentiment since the question was first posed in 2016. About 40% of respondents, however, relished the ample coverage of the campaign and candidates, demonstrating a robust appetite for political news. Those with keen interest in the elections were more likely to appreciate abundant campaign coverage.
Partisan agreement emerged in this instance, with 59% of both Republicans and Democrats confessing to feeling overwhelmed by the exhaustive election coverage. This figures, however, marked a departure from previous patterns in April when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Back then, more Democrats had claimed burnout from the relentless campaign coverage – a strange, yet not so surprising modification.
Americans had higher praise for their chosen news outlets. Approximately eight out of ten adults displayed confidence in the election coverage by their preferred news sources, with 27% asserting excellent performance and a hefty 54% expressing satisfaction. Comparatively, fewer critics pointed fingers at their chosen news sources for unsatisfactory coverage of the election.
Republican viewers, true to form, were more critical of their chosen news sources than their Democratic counterparts. Despite this, a common thread of approval ran across both sides of the aisle when it came to their most frequented news outlets. An impressive majority of Republicans (77%) and Democrats (87%) applauded their preferred news sources for covering this election cycle reasonably well.
Americans expressed more favorable sentiments towards sources they most frequently turned to for election news compared to the news media in general. However, the critique was alive and well even amongst favored sources, as evidenced by the Republicans who were still twice as likely as Democrats to fling mud at their most frequently consulted sources.
It’s interesting to note that Republicans perceived their primary news sources in a far more favorable light than the overall news media. Perhaps this suggests that Republicans value fidelity to proven sources, as most of them (77%) praised their primary news outlets for their coverage of the election cycle.
Finally, irrespective of party affiliations, opinions on the saturation of election coverage have remained largely unchanged amongst the American populace, with a majority expressing a sense of weariness towards the persistent bombardment of campaign news. But the thirst for coverage is also evident, particularly amongst individuals closely following the election. Even in this case, skepticism endures, hinting at the complex interplay between the media, politics, and its relentless scrutiny.