More feelings of misinformation lead to more news avoidance, study shows
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As people have more difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction in the United States, they are more likely to feel news fatigue and avoid news altogether, according to a University of Michigan study.
More than an unintentional avoidance because of lack of media exposure, the researchers say people actively avoid news. The work is published in Journalism Studies.
The researchers also find that people who identify as strong Democrats begin relying more on nonpartisan news media when feeling misinformed, while people who identify as strong Republicans report using less news media overall, including less conservative news media.
"The more confusing or difficult to navigate that you find the news environment, the more you actively avoid news—but it's not just news," said lead author Ariel Hasell, U-M assistant professor of communication and media and faculty affiliate of the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Social Research. "News avoidance also includes people avoiding discussing politics with others as well. So it's not just not consuming news, you're stepping out of the conversation completely."
