U.S.(Washington Insider Magazine) – A new poll reveals that 65% of US adults are limiting their political news consumption due to fatigue and information overload, highlighting a years-long trend of disengagement.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that political fatigue is widespread across party lines, with 72% of Democrats, 59% of Republicans, and 63% of Independents stepping back from political coverage.
“People are mentally exhausted,” said Ziad Aunallah, a 45-year-old from San Diego. “Everyone knows what’s coming, and we’re just taking some time off.”
The poll comes after months of intense media coverage surrounding the 2024 U.S. presidential election, which saw Donald Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since the election, major news networks have experienced a sharp decline in viewership:
- MSNBC lost 54% of its prime-time audience.
- CNN dropped 45% in viewership.
- Fox News, a favorite among Trump supporters, gained 13%, now capturing 72% of cable news viewers at night.
The trend is not new—a 2020 Pew Research study found two-thirds of Americans felt “worn out” by excessive news coverage. The 2023 Pew survey also reported that 65% of Americans felt exhausted thinking about politics.
Experts attribute this disengagement to political polarization, social media-driven division, and a decade of intense political stress. Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatry professor at Wayne State University, links it to “the politics of fear,” heightened by global crises and public disillusionment.
As 2025 begins, the trend of US political news fatigue appears stronger than ever, with more Americans seeking a break from the relentless news cycle.
