Over two-thirds of Americans now say they are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of election news.
“Sixty-eight percent of Americans say the amount of information available about politics and elections makes it hard to be well-informed because there are many sources of information that need to be sorted through to determine what is true or important,” reported a wide-ranging new poll from Gallup and the Knight Foundation.
“Many Americans believe the news media devotes too much election coverage to polls (51%) and controversial statements and actions from a candidate’s past (42%),” the poll analysis said.
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“But even more U.S. adults are critical of the media for spending too little time on the issues that matter most to voters (64%), the policy proposals of candidates and political parties (64%) and the candidates’; qualifications for office (62%),” the analysis noted.
Other findings include:
• 68% of Americans say the amount of election information makes it hard to be informed because there are too many sources to consider.
• 32% say it is easy to be well-informed because information is now so easy to access.
• 27% say they take a break from news if they feel “overwhelmed” by the amount of political information.
• 26% will consult a variety of sources and compare facts if they feel overwhelmed.
• 22% pick one or two trusted sources and only pay attention to those.
• 20% don’t feel overwhelmed.
The Gallup/Knight Foundation poll of 1,200 U.S. adults was conducted Sept. 24-Oct. 5 and released Oct. 28.
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