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A survey held in the United States revealed that adults who were not closely following news about the 2024 presidential candidates were more likely to feel worn out by coverage of the campaign and candidates than those who were more engaged with news on the subject. A total of 77 percent of adults who said they were not following news closely at all said they were fatigued by it, compared to just 40 percent who were very engaged with election news. The public feeling overwhelmed by or tired with election news, despite not following it, is symptomatic of the wider issue of news fatigue.

Why might election news overwhelm audiences?

In a world where news is available 24 hours a day, news avoidance and fatigue are on the rise. Election news, in particular, can be tiring to navigate for those who do not identify with candidates and policies, or who are worried about the accuracy of the information they encounter. The leading concern about election news coverage is inaccurate information or disinformation, followed by coverage focusing too much on divisions or controversies. Information that has not been confirmed or verified was also a worry, as well as factual information which favors only one side of an issue.

How news organizations could engage more readers

Audiences may feel tempted to disengage from election news coverage due to their various concerns about it, and organizations can attempt to tackle this by taking care to signpost and thoroughly fact-check their reporting in order to improve trust and engagement. Specifically when it comes to strengthening trust in local political journalism, audiences express a number of issues they believe to be important, such as journalists being deliberate in openly questioning people from all sides of an issue, and asking tough but respectful questions to get answers the people need.