Voters who don’t follow political news feel more positively about Donald Trump — and more negatively about President Biden.
Republicans and Democrats are divided across all kinds of lines — and where they get their news is no exception.
According to an NBC poll released on Monday, Americans who consume more traditional forms of media like newspapers favor President Biden, while those who don’t follow any political news back presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. People who don’t keep up with what’s happening on Capitol Hill are also more likely to feel more positive about third-party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This could explain why Trump and Biden remain neck-in-neck in the 2024 presidential race, despite the former president’s many legal battles constantly making headlines. According to a RealClearPolitics aggregate of 10 separate national polls, Trump is leading Biden 46.6 percent to 45.3 percent.
“These are voters who have tuned out information, by and large, and they know who they are supporting, and they aren’t moving,” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who conducted the poll alongside Republican pollster Bill McInturff, said, per NBC. “That’s why it’s hard to move this race based on actual news. They aren’t seeing it, and they don’t care.”
What did the poll find overall?
The nationwide survey looked at traditional media (newspapers, national network news, and cable news) as well as digital media (social media, digital websites, and YouTube/Google). Among registered voters, 54 percent identified as conventional news consumers, while 40 percent saw themselves as digital media consumers.
What forms of media does Biden lead in?
Voters who consume more traditional forms of news tend to have more positive views of Biden (48 percent) than negative ones (44 percent). In terms of what types of media, the president held the biggest lead in a head-to-head presidential ballot test among newspaper readers in particular — 70 percent of these voters preferred Biden, compared to 21 percent who leaned towards Trump. He’s also the clear choice for voters who rely on national network news to keep them up-to-date.
While the medium may seem outdated, NBC notes that traditional media consumers tend to be more dependable when it comes to turning out and voting. Of those polled, 59 percent of these American voters cast ballots in the 2020 election and 2022 midterm elections.
What forms of media does Trump have an advantage in?
Trump fares best with those who don’t keep up with politics — 53 percent back him, while 27 percent back Biden. It’s also worth noting that third-party candidates also perform well with this group of voters — a quarter of the 15% who say they don’t follow political news choose one of the other candidates in a five-way ballot that includes Kennedy, Jill Stein, and Cornel West.
That said, these types of media consumers are less reliable as voters. In fact, 27 percent who didn’t vote in either of the last two elections say they don’t follow what’s happening in Washington.
As for those who do follow politics, the former president is the candidate of choice for those getting their information from cable news as well as YouTube and Google.
Where it’s a toss-up
The new data showed that it’s almost too close to call where digital media consumers stand on their candidate of choice, with Trump at 47 percent and Biden at 44 percent. Trump does hold a slight lead among those who rely on social media at 46 percent to 42 percent.
These stark differences could inform Trump and Biden both on and off the campaign trail as they try to connect with voters.
