Millennials Favour Facebook for US Political News: Survey

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 2 June 2015 11:39 IST
When it comes to political news, Millennials are more likely to turn to Facebook than their television-watching Baby Boomer elders, a Pew Research Center study released Monday suggests.

The Washington-based social research institute surveyed nearly 3,000 online adults to learn how Americans are informing themselves in the run-up to next year's presidential election.

Sixty-one percent of Millennials, aged 18 to 33, said they got their news about politics and government from Facebook, with another 37 percent tuning in to local television newscasts.

It was the reverse among Baby Boomers, aged 50 to 68, with 60 percent watching local TV news and 39 percent favouring the popular social networking website.

Advertisement

Generation Xers, aged 34 to 49, were more balanced between the two media, with 51 percent logging onto Facebook for political and government news and 46 percent favouring local television.

Advertisement

"We are only beginning to understand the complex interactions of personal choice, friend networks and algorithms in the social media space," said Pew's director of journalism research Amy Mitchell.

"As the research continues, these data suggest there are fundamental differences in the ways younger and older generations stay informed about political news," she said in a statement announcing the findings.

Advertisement

The survey, conducted March 19 to April 29, did not include the so-called Silent Generation, aged 69 to 86, due to the large proportion of its members who don't use the Internet, Pew said.

While mainstream media enjoyed a higher level of trust across all three generations, Millennials were more likely to put confidence in satirical newscasts such as "The Daily Show" hosted by Jon Stewart.

Advertisement

But overall, Millennials expressed less interest in politics overall, with only 26 percent saying it was one of their three favourite topics of interest.

Among Generation Xers and Baby Boomers, the proportions were 34 percent and 45 percent respectively.

The complete study is available here.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, Social
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale: Deals on Smartphones, Laptops Teased
  2. Realme 15T With 50-Megapixel Selfie Camera Debuts in India: See Price
  3. Redmi 15 5G, Note 14 Pro Prices Dropped During Diwali With Xiaomi Sale
  4. Apple Marks iPhone 8 Plus as Vintage Alongside These MacBook Models
  1. BCCI Says Crypto, Real Money Gaming Platforms Can’t Bid for Team India’s Title Sponsorship
  2. Scientists Discover Hidden Mantle Layer Beneath the Himalayas Challenging Century-Old Theory
  3. Astronomers Propose Rectangular Telescope to Hunt Earth-Like Planets
  4. Microsoft Testing Native Clipboard Sync Feature to Share Text Between Windows PCs, Android Devices
  5. Su From So OTT Release: When and Where to Watch This Kannada-Language Horror-Comedy Online
  6. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless 80th Anniversary Edition Launched in India With Up to 60 Hour Battery Life
  7. Call of Duty Film Adaption Said to Be a 'Priority' at Paramount, Negotiations on to Acquire Rights
  8. Cannibal Solar Storm May Trigger Auroras as Powerful Geomagnetic Storm to Hit Earth Soon
  9. Apple's iPhone 8 Plus Listed as Vintage Product Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch, 11-Inch MacBook Air Now Obsolete
  10. Hidden Reason Behind Portugal’s Deadly Earthquakes Finally Explained
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.