In the wake of the recent presidential election, many Americans, regardless of their political affiliations, are seeking a respite from the relentless bombardment of political news.
Ziad Aunallah, a 45-year-old Democrat from San Diego, echoes the sentiments of many when he says, People are mentally exhausted. Everyone knows what is coming and we are just taking some time off.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about two-thirds of American adults have recently felt the need to limit their consumption of media content about politics and government due to overload. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the realm of politics than in other areas such as overseas conflicts, the economy, or climate change.
Sam Gude, a 47-year-old electrician from Lincoln, Nebraska, found that election news on CNN and MSNBC was consuming too much of his time prior to the election. The last thing I want to watch right now is the interregnum, said Gude, who is not a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump.
The survey, conducted in early December, revealed that about 70% of Democrats are stepping back from political news. While the percentage isn't as high for Republicans, who are celebrating Trump's victory, about 60% of them also feel the need to take a break. The share for independents is similar.
The impact of this political news fatigue is starkly evident in the TV networks' viewership numbers. According to Nielsen, MSNBC's prime-time viewership averaged 620,000 post-election, down 54% from the pre-election audience this year. CNN's viewership was down 45%, averaging 405,000 viewers. In contrast, Fox News Channel, a favorite among Trump supporters, saw a 13% increase in its post-election viewership, averaging 2.68 million viewers.
The post-election slump is not a new trend for networks that cater to a partisan audience. MSNBC faced similar issues after Trump's 2016 election, and Fox experienced the same in 2020. However, Fox's situation was exacerbated by viewer outrage over the network's election night call of Arizona for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Despite the slump, history suggests that network ratings tend to bounce back once the initial disappointment of an election loss subsides. As Ziad Aunallah puts it, Ill be tuning back in once the clown show starts. You have no choice. Whether or not you want to hear it, its happening. If you care about your country, you have no choice but to pay attention.
However, the path to recovery may not be smooth. MSNBC's decline is steeper than it was in 2016, and there's uncertainty about whether Trump's opponents will remain as engaged as they were during his first term. Moreover, the trend of people unplugging from cable television is accelerating, although MSNBC believes it has managed to buck this trend.
The survey also indicates that Americans desire less political commentary from public figures in general. After an election season where endorsements from celebrities like Taylor Swift made headlines, the survey found that Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of celebrities, large companies, and professional athletes speaking out about politics.
In the midst of this, some Americans are finding alternative ways to consume news. Sam Gude, for instance, has turned to YouTube. Meanwhile, MSNBC is undergoing corporate changes that could potentially affect its future. Parent company Comcast announced last month that MSNBC will spin off into a new company, severing its ties with NBC News.
For those who have turned away from political news, the path to re-engagement lies in more depth and variety in news coverage. Kathleen Kendrick, a 36-year-old sales rep from Grand Junction, Colorado, whos a registered independent voter, said, You get a story but only part of a story. It would be nice if you could get both sides, and more research.
Ziad Aunallah shares this sentiment, saying, Its kind of their own fault that Im not watching. I felt they spent all this time talking about the election. They made it so much of their focus that when the main event ends, why would people want to keep watching?
The survey, conducted from Dec. 5-9, 2024, involved 1,251 adults and was designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
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