How Americans Navigated the News in 2020: A Tumultuous Year in Review
Americans inhabited different information environments, with wide gaps in how they viewed the election and COVID-19.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
American News Pathways 2020 Project
How the public navigated news in 2020
Pew Research Center’s yearlong initiative focusing on how Americans’ news habits and attitudes related to what they heard, perceived and knew about the 2020 U.S. presidential election and COVID-19. MORE >
Republicans who relied on Trump for news more concerned than other Republicans about election fraud
In studying voters’ views of election fraud, we found these views varied by whether people got their news from the Trump campaign.
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Concern is highest among people who follow political news most closely, older adults and those who display more knowledge about politics in general.
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Concern about influence of made-up news on the election is lowest among those paying the least attention
Concern is highest among people who follow political news most closely, older adults and those who display more knowledge about politics in general.
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Confidence in public acceptance of election results connects to following political news, relying on social media
Americans who closely follow political news are more likely to have confidence that the public will accept election results. And that’s true across party boundaries.
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Democrats, Republicans each expect made-up news to target their own party more than the other in 2020
There’s broad concern among Democrats and Republicans about the influence that made-up news could have during the 2020 presidential election.
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A sore subject: Almost half of Americans have stopped talking politics with someone
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have stopped discussing political and election news with someone: 50% vs. 41%, respectively.
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An oasis of bipartisanship: Republicans and Democrats distrust social media sites for political and election news
Both Democrats and Republicans express far more distrust than trust of social media sites as sources for political and election news.
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American News Pathways project FAQ
For more details about the American News Pathways project, find answers to frequently asked questions.
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How to use Pew Research Center’s American News Pathways data tool
A step-by-step guide on how to use the American News Pathways interactive tool, which displays how Americans’ news habits and attitudes relate to what they hear, perceive and know about the 2020 U.S. presidential election and COVID-19.
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Q&A: How Pew Research Center evaluated Americans’ trust in 30 news sources
Our director of journalism studies explains how we determined what media outlets Americans turn to and trust for their political news.
