FEED Winter 2020/21 Web

WHATSAPP, DUMMY?

ABOUT ONE IN FIVE US ADULTS SAY THEY GET THEIR POLITICAL NEWS PRIMARILY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA % of US adults who say the most common way they get political and election news is…

A new Pew Research Center report found that social media use correlated with a less well informed and less engaged public. Disinformation is going viral on social media platforms, with a healthy number of people reporting to have been exposed to conspiracy theories about Covid-19 across various outlets. Some of the results are surprising – for example, local TV was listed as one of the more egregious culprits, which raises questions about the sources some local news outlets are accessing.

No answer 1%

Radio 8%

Social media 18%

Print 3%

Network TV 13%

News website or app 25%

Source: Survey of US adults conducted 29 Oct-11 Nov 2019 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Local TV 16%

Cable TV 16%

THOSE WHO TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR NEWS ARE LEAST LIKELY TO BE FOLLOWING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS VERY CLOSELY % of US adults who say they have been following news about the coronavirus outbreak Among those who say ___ is the most common way they get political news

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS USERS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE HEARD CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT THE PANDEMIC WAS INTENTIONALLY PLANNED % of US adults who’ve heard a lot/a little about the conspiracy theory that coronavirus was planned Among those who say ___ is the most common way they get political and election news

Very closely

Fairly closely NET

A lot

A little

NET 81%

Social media

92%

Network TV

50%

42%

26%

54%

50%

39%

17% 56%

Cable TV

News website/app

Radio

45%

47%

11%

62%

44%

46%

News website/app

Local TV

20% 49%

37%

50%

16% 51%

Radio

Netwrok TV

Local TV

32% 47%

12% 51%

Social media

Cable TV

17% 45%

23% 56%

Source: Survey of US adults, conducted 4-10 June 2020 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Read the full report: Americans who mainly get their news on social media are less engaged, less knowledgeable , at bit.ly/3ocV0HY

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