Jeffrey Gottfried

When we asked people if they regularly got news about the 2016 presidential election through either the print or online version of four specific U.S. newspapers, three of these papers – The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal – attracted more adults younger than 50 than 50 and older as regular readers.

A unique study of Americans’ online news habits over the course of a week provides a detailed window into how Americans learn about current events in the digital age.

Trump voters named one source more than any other as their main source of election news, whereas Clinton voters were spread across an array of sources.

A majority of U.S. adults (59%) reject the idea of adding interpretation, saying that the news media should present the facts alone

As the news media cover the turbulent 2016 presidential election, there’s been considerable debate around how much emphasis they should put on inaccurate or potentially offensive statements made by candidates.

Americans are divided in what they consider the most positive and negative attribute of the news media, and much of that divide follows party lines.

Only a slim minority thinks the news media’s coverage of Trump and Clinton is too tough, a view the public also held in previous general elections.

59% of Americans feel exhausted by the amount of election coverage, while 39% say they like getting a lot of coverage about the election.

Digital innovation has had a major impact on the public's news habits. How have these changes shaped Americans’ appetite for and attitudes toward the news?

A majority of Americans get news on social media, including 18% who do so often. News plays a varying role across the nine social networking sites studied.