People are stressed out by most news that isn’t local news, according to a new study
The way people of different age groups in the United States get their news is different, but no matter how old they are, everyone is pretty stressed about all news that isn’t local news. That’s according to a new study from the Media Insights Project, a collaboration of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the American Press Institute, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and the Local News Network at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A few takeaways that stood out to me:
TV and radio still play an important role in American news consumption, while AI is at the very bottom of everyone’s list. Radio still far outpaces podcast listenership, even among younger people. One thing that’s unclear: Whether AI is popping up on social media or in search engines, which are the third and fourth most popular sources of news among Americans. Google’s AI tools have become increasingly prominent in search, so I’d suspect there’s a good chance AI still influences how Americans get their news even if they do not directly turn to chatbots.
The majority of Americans — 7 in 10 — access a paid media service of some kind, even if they don’t pay for it themselves. Older Americans are also more likely to pay for those products, which include news sources as well as television and streaming services, possibly in part because they are more likely to have the disposable income that enables them to pay for them. “Those who pay for news express notably higher trust in both local and national sources’ abilities to verify information and help audiences understand complex issues,” the study authors write. “Younger audiences do not reject traditional journalism outright, but they do not grant it automatic authority. Unlike older adults, who show stronger, categorical confidence in local and national outlets, teens and young adults distribute trust more evenly across traditional news and independent creators.”
The kind of news people look for also varies by age. Younger people tend to gravitate toward lifestyle news, while older Americans consume hard news. The most commonly avoided topics are “celebrity news, political content, and news encountered on social media or during personal conversations.”
Across the board, Americans are stressed and fatigued by the news, but local news is a bright spot. “While most feel capable of finding relevant content and identifying trustworthy information, the emotional toll they feel in doing so is considerable,” write the study authors. “Very few Americans say news gives them a hopeful view of the world; and a substantial portion report feeling overwhelmed or finding news too stressful. American teenagers and adults assign responsibility for misinformation primarily to politicians and social media actors rather than news organizations, with local news receiving the least blame — a pattern that may help explain why trust in local journalism remains comparatively resilient even as media fatigue grows.”
