Entertainment
The Media Divide
Report summary
America is more divided than ever, and it’s reflected in the media consumption habits of Democrats and Republicans.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, hyper partisanship will not only be visible at the ballot box but is also in how Democrats and Republicans consume the news.
To help brands and politicos navigate the media divide, we sought to answer three key questions about Democrats’ and Republicans’ relationship with the media: First, where do they get their news? Then, how are they engaging? And finally, who do they trust?
Key Takeaways
- Broadcast networks attract the most viewers, regardless of political party: Nearly 3 in 5 Democrats and Republicans say they watch ABC, CBS and NBC.
- Partisan outlets have wide gaps in viewership: Democrats are 23 percentage points more likely to watch CNN while Republicans are 23 points more likely to watch Fox News.
- The most frequent news consumption happens on social media: Half of Democrats (51%) and Republicans (52%) said they turned to social media for news at least once a day, more frequently than any other news source.
- Republicans have far less confidence in the news media than Democrats: Three in five (63%) of Democrats say they have ”a lot” or “some” confidence in the news media, while just 38% of Republicans say the same.
Highlights from this report
Democrats watch a wide variety of TV news channels, and at a high rate. These consumers are more likely than Republicans to say they watch all news channels, except for Fox News.
That said, the Big 3 broadcast networks also receive strong viewership from Republicans too, with Fox News engaging Republicans just as much as the Big Three. For example, 59% of Republicans say they watch Fox News compared with 60% who watch CBS, 59% who watch ABC and 58% who watch NBC.
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Methodology
Morning Consult data featured in this report draws from research conducted over several time periods:
- May 4-5, 2024 and July 31 – August 4 2024, among representative samples of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults, with unweighted margins of error of +/-2 percentage points.
- Trended historical data is drawn from research fielded monthly between July 2022 and June 2024, among representative samples of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults, with an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
All survey interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment.
This report also includes data from Morning Consult Intelligence. The platform helps you understand your audience, brand, competitors and markets in a way traditional research companies can’t. Learn more here.
About the author
Nicki Zink is deputy head of Industry Analysis. Her team identifies trends affecting key demographics across food & beverage, travel & hospitality and financial services. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Nicki served as the head of digital intelligence at Purple Strategies, a corporate reputation and strategy firm. She graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
