Nearly 70 percent of Americans suffer "news fatigue," with Republicans feeling it even more, according to a new survey.
The Pew Research Center poll found that the portion experiencing information overload is similar to how Americans felt during the 2016 presidential election, when a majority said they were exhausted by the campaign coverage.
Conducted from Feb. 22 to March 4, the survey of 5,035 adults found that while majorities of both Republicans and Democrats express news fatigue, about 77 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents feel worn out over how much news there is.
That's compared to about 61 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
Pew Research commented that the elevated fatigue among Republicans tracks with them having less enthusiasm than Democrats for the 2018 elections.
Those who closely follow the news were less likely to be worn out by it.
The survey found 62 percent of those who follow the news more closely feel worn out while 78 percent of those who less frequently get news say they are fatigued.
Most Americans – 65 percent – say they follow the news most of time, while 34 percent say they follow it only when something important is happening.
Those less favorable toward the news media are also the most "worn out."
Overall, 17 percent of Americans say national news organizations are doing very well at keeping the public informed of the most important national stories of the day, while 58 percent say the news media do fairly well.
White Americans are more likely than others to feel exhausted by the news, with 73 percent expressing fatigue. Among both Hispanic and black Americans, only 55 percent say the news wears them out.
Women are also somewhat more likely than men to feel worn out, 71 percent vs. 64 percent, respectively.
Those ages 65 and older are slightly less likely than those who are younger to express a sense of exhaustion with the news.