Fewer Americans are following the news closely

If you’re reading this, thank you. Seriously, thank you – because a new study by Pew Research Center determined that Americans are following the news less closely than they were a few years ago.

According to Pew, 51% of U.S. adults said they followed the news all or most of the time in 2016. But fast-forward to 2022 and that share fell to 38%.

Back in 2016, 12% of Americans said they follow the news only now and then – and that figure increased to 19% by 2022, the most recent year that Pew had for a data analysis.

Furthermore, 5% of adults said in 2016 they hardly ever follow the news – six years later, that share was at 9%.

Older adults were more likely to say they follow the news all or most of the time, while younger adults were less likely. And in 2016, 57% of Republicans and independents who leaned Republican said they followed the news all or most of the time – that share was down to 37% in 2022. Democrats and independents leaning to the Democratic ideology only recorded a seven-point decline in news consumption, form 49% to 42%.

Pew drew its results from 12,147 adults polled between July 18 and Aug. 21, 2022.