WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Denver retiree Don Cohen spends about two-and-a-half hours each day consuming the news, between reading on his iPad and watching broadcast programs. But while the 72-year-old says he wishes he could avoid stories about President Donald Trump, he鈥檚 accepted that鈥檚 impossible.
鈥淚t would be to avoid media,鈥� said Cohen, an independent voter who has opposed Trump since he announced his 2016 presidential campaign.
Although Cohen has given up, others have not. A finds that about 6 in 10 U.S adults say they actively try to avoid news stories about Trump 鈥渙ften鈥� or 鈥渟ometimes.鈥�
Most aren’t finding hope in the news 鈥� particularly the people who are more apt to dislike Trump. Republicans are more likely to say the news they consume gives them a hopeful view of the world, while few Democrats say this is how they feel.
The findings from the new survey reflect divisions in an American electorate at a time when increased polarization and social media are changing the way people consume news.
David Sterrett, a principal research scientist at the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was a partner on the project, said Democrats may be exercising wishful thinking when they say they try to avoid news about Trump.
鈥淭hey would like to avoid Trump news, but they鈥檙e probably not because most national politics news is somewhat connected to the president,鈥� he said.
Most Democrats follow political news, but it doesn’t make them hopeful
Democrats tend to have more faith in media, particularly national news outlets, compared to Republicans, and they’re also more likely to regularly follow national political news, the survey found.
But Republicans are more likely to say the news they consume gives them a hopeful view of the world, while Democrats are more likely to say the news is too stressful to read or watch.
About two-thirds of Democrats and independents say that they 鈥渙ften鈥� or 鈥渟ometimes鈥� actively try to avoid news stories about Trump. Among them is Fernando Ocegueda, a Democrat in Los Angeles who said he recently cut back on consuming political news for precisely that reason.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 agree with his decisions,鈥� the 50-year-old phlebotomist said of the president. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 fit, so I don鈥檛 even want to bother in paying attention to what he has to say.鈥�
Cohen, the retiree, said he thinks the president has created a sense of instability that puts many Americans in fight-or-flight mode. He thinks that鈥檚 part of what keeps people coming back for more.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 want to know, but they sort of want to know, because of the imminent sense of threat that is attached to him,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou know it鈥檚 a train wreck, and you just can鈥檛 take your eyes off of it.鈥�
Even Republicans say they at times try to avoid Trump news
It’s not just Democrats. About half of Republicans in the survey said they 鈥渙ften鈥� or 鈥渟ometimes鈥� actively try to avoid news stories about Trump. Nicole Pratt, who identifies as a moderate Republican, is one of them.
The 62-year-old in Torrance, California said she supports some things the Trump administration is doing and wants to know the news, but she doesn鈥檛 need to read any more stories about what she views as the president’s narcissism.
鈥淗is fights with other people, his arguments 鈥� I don鈥檛 bother with that anymore,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like, I have other things to do.鈥�
Sterrett said some Republicans might say they avoid news about Trump not because they’re tired of Trump updates but because they distrust traditional news sources.
鈥淎 lot of his followers do get news directly from him via social media, and his posts and announcements,鈥� he said.
Both parties get news on social 鈥� even as they say it’s a misinformation haven
About 4 in 10 Republicans and Democrats say they get news from social media at least 鈥渄aily,鈥� but they also recognize the pitfalls of what鈥檚 shared there.
Most Democrats and Republicans point to social media users as having 鈥渁 great deal鈥� or 鈥渜uite a bit鈥� of responsibility for the spread of misinformation about events and important issues.
They’re more divided on where to place the blame otherwise.
About three-quarters of Democrats say politicians have a high amount of responsibility for misinformation spreading, compared to 65% of Republicans. Another 64% of Democrats say that about social media companies such as Facebook or Meta, X, and YouTube, compared to 53% of Republicans.
Most Democrats, 58%, also see at least 鈥渜uite a bit鈥� of responsibility for misinformation coming from artificial intelligence companies that create and develop AI chatbots. A smaller share of Republicans, 47%, see AI companies as responsible.
Most Republicans, meanwhile, point to national news media as having 鈥渁 great deal鈥� or 鈥渜uite a bit鈥� of responsibility for the spread of misinformation about events and important issues. About half of Democrats say the same.
Partisans are hooked on news. Independents, not as much
While Americans aligned with one of the two major parties often differ on their specific views of trust in media, it’s independents who are less engaged.
About 8 in 10 Democrats and Republicans regularly follow various news and information topics, compared to roughly 7 in 10 independents.
Other than Trump-related news, partisans are similarly likely to report avoiding news about celebrities, news in general, or news on their various devices 鈥� such as on social media or on their phone. Most on both sides of the aisle try to avoid the news when talking with friends or family at least sometimes.
Sterrett said even as the political parties differ in their news preferences, the survey shows some areas of overlap. For example, Americans in both parties are similarly likely to say they follow sports news, weather news or crime news.
鈥淓specially when it comes to local issues and the stuff that affects people鈥檚 daily lives, it does seem like Republicans and Democrats are following similar sources and following similar topics,鈥� Sterrett said.
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Swenson reported from New York, and Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. ___
The Media Insight Project survey is an initiative of the American Press Institute, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Local 草莓传媒 Network at the University of Maryland鈥檚 Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll of 2,101 Americans included 1,092 U.S. adults ages 18 and older and 1,009 teenagers ages 13 to 17 but partisanship was only asked of U.S. adults. The poll of adults was conducted Feb. 5-8 and the poll of teens was conducted Feb. 2-16 using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for teenagers overall is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
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