Only a Quarter of Americans Are Satisfied with the Quality of Local Political News
The Pew Research Center informs the public about issues such as the attitudes and trends that form our world, conducting polls related to political opinion, content analysis, and demographic research, ensuring that they do not take policy positions through that process. Their mission is to enrich the public dialogue and support sound decision-making.
Pew states that its goal is not to prescribe, but to inform, and that “better information can build a better world,” and one of their recent research studies yields troubling insights into the confidence Americans have in local political news.
The study indicated only a quarter of Americans are satisfied with the quality of local political news that they get. 5,146 adults were surveyed about how they get their news on local government and politics and the findings reveal two distinct gaps. The first is the relationship between the rate of Americans’ consumption of local political news and their satisfaction level. The second is the connection between people's interest in news about local elections and their capacity to access this coverage.
Participants were asked how frequently they get local news about government and politics compared to other topics such as schools, sports, and the economy. 68% of participants responded that they “often” or “sometimes” focus on news on government and politics, yet only 25% of participants said they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with the news they received.
The study also found that a good chunk of participants don’t typically get local news from traditional news sources and rely instead on friends, family, and neighbors to be in the know when it comes to political news. 70% of participants said they “often” or “sometimes” get their news by word of mouth, often from people close to them. The study also found that more than 70% of participants under 30 years old turn to social media for their local political news, beating out the 36% of participants who are 65 and older.
Why Are So Many Americans Dissatisfied with Local Political News?
It seems that Americans have a difficult time accessing information about local elections, partly due to local news outlets shrinking or closing outright. In 2023 alone, more than 130 local newspapers closed or merged and now around 56% of counties in the US have one or fewer local news outlets. These developments contribute to a sense of detachment some people feel toward their respective local communities—culminating in a general disinterest in local news altogether.
The more connected Americans feel to their communities, the more satisfied they are with their local political news coverage. Furthermore, Americans that are more attached to their communities find it easier to find voting information, likely correlating with how many local news outlets still exist in their area. 61% of participants reported that it is “very” easy to find the information they need to make an informed decision when voting, while only 34% of those not attached to their communities feel the same way.
