Here's an obvious sign that the Biden presidency isn't going well! Sara Fischer at Axios reports a new poll from Gallup and the Knight Foundation finds that "younger Democrats are driving a huge decline in national news consumption in the U.S." This can't be good for media outlets struggling after the boom times under Trump.
Why it matters: It marks the first time since the study began in early 2018 that Democrats report having less interest in national news than Republicans and independents...
While respondents across the political spectrum all reported a decline in interest in national news over the past year, Democrats' interest has declined the most, with just 34% saying they paid a great deal of attention to national news in 2021, compared to 69% in November 2020.
The decline among Democrats ages 18-34 is staggering. Roughly a quarter (24%) said they paid a great deal of attention to national news in 2021, compared to 70% in November 2020. Those ages 35-54 also tuned out significantly.
You can see where Democrats would stop watching:
1. Their terror about Trump (and in 2020, Trump's handling of the pandemic) has waned since he lost the election. Fischer notes "Partisans generally tend to tune in more to national news when the opposing party is in office, according to Gallup."
2. Their positive feelings about Biden and his er, accomplishments is probably slipping. All this bad news "happening to" Biden make them want to avoid the news and watch something else. Remember that many Democrats think Biden is too "centrist."
Gallup added: "However, rather than seeing an increase in attention to national news by Republicans since the election of President Biden, we report a marginal decrease. Therefore, other factors may contribute to this drop, such as tuning out of news about COVID or a general sense of news “burnout” after a tumultuous year."
It could also be "tuning out of news that endlessly recycles hyperbole about January 6 investigations," since the "news" product often tends to reflect very closely the talking points and narratives that Democrats think will help them succeed. The media seem to imply there are no Biden scandals, only Trump (and super-Trumper) scandals.
