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Tune In or Tune Out?
February 2025
Understanding Media Consumption Habits
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Yes, this webinar will be recorded
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Kimelle Ash
Growth & Marketing Manager
Mike Greenfield
Co-Founder & CEO
Jessica Mason
Analyst
Meet the Team
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DATA POINTS
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How do people engage?
Who do people trust?
Who are the active, passive, and avoidant consumers?
An Embold Case Study: How does information reach people?
AGENDA
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EMBOLD CASE STUDY
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PROJECT METHODOLOGY
Survey of n=2,110 adults nationwide, with an oversample of parents and educators fielded via dynamic online sampling from August 20-29, 2024. The modeled margin of error +/- 2.6%.
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
Survey of n=1,698 adults in Chicago, IL, with an oversample of parents and educators fielded via dynamic online sampling from October 14-23, 2024. The modeled margin of error +/- 2.7%.
Media market matters - what may be true for consumers nationwide may not be true on a local scale.
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Majorities of Chicagoans are satisfied with most types of information they are able to get…
… But satisfaction with available information wanes when confronted with more concrete situations.
When looking specifically at education, there is a disconnect between the issues Chicagoans find most important and the issues with the best available information.
Getting information on education often means a self-directed, network driven search – but there are some avenues where we can fill the gap.
42% among
parents
Key Insights and Application
Going deeper:
Meeting people where it matters:
METHODOLOGY
Survey n=1,759 voters nationwide from January 21-28, 2025.
Respondents were recruited via dynamic online sampling to obtain a sample reflective of the population.
Post-stratification performed on age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, and 2024 presidential vote.
The modeled margin of error is +/-2.5 percentage points
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
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4.
How do people engage?
Who do people trust?
Who are the active, passive, and avoidant consumers?
An Embold Case Study: How does information reach people?
AGENDA
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
Regardless of how engaged voters are, keeping up with political news is considered a chore.
While many consider themselves active consumers, a majority also say they actively avoid news content.
So, why are voters avoiding news?
Mental exhaustion
Frustration with bias, sensationalism, and polarization in the media
General distrust in mainstream media
“Depressing and biased. I l[i]ve a happier life when I care for my community rather than get overwhelmed with everything going on in the world.” - White man, 18-34, Independent, South, habitually passive and habitually avoidant
“It is very biased. After watching a news cast you know exactly what political affliation [sic] the station is. That should not be happening they should be unbiased.” - White woman, 65+, Republican, Midwest, habitually active and temporarily avoidant
“I avoid them because they are usually inaccurate or dont [sic] report all the facts” - Black woman, 35-49, Democrat, South, habitually active and temporarily avoidant
Reasons for avoiding the news align with voters’ top pet peeves in media.
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How do people engage?
Who do people trust?
Who are the active, passive, and avoidant consumers?
An Embold Case Study: How does information reach people?
AGENDA
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
Voters are much more concerned about bias in other people’s news. Not so much about their own.
Voters across demographic groups value information. They think media values sensationalism.
Despite blanket distrust of what the news media values, voters are divided on their perceptions of their own sources.
Many voters complain that news media overwhelmingly puts opinion and political biases over facts
There is also outsized criticism of the role the wealthiest actors play in determining what and how news is reported
“Most news now is really just propaganda instead of unbiased reporting.” - Hispanic woman, 35-49, Democrat, West, habitually active non-avoidant
“It is heavily swayed to whatever makes that entity more money and/or gets them more views. It's not about the truth, just numbers.” - White man, 18-34, Democrat, South, habitually active and temporarily avoidant
How do voters know if the information they’re getting is true?
Using multiple sources or fact-checking
Relying on “common sense” or “my experience”
Believing that all media information is false
“I immediately go to Google to find if other sources are saying the same thing. I'll typically try to find at least 3 other reputable sources before saying it as fact.” - White woman, 18-34, Democrat, Northeast, habitually active non-avoidant
“First I use common sense. If it doesn't make sense, it's probably not true. If I care enough about a story then I research about it.” - Hispanic woman, 50-64, Democrat, Midwest, habitually active and temporarily avoidant
“It's all fake. It's just a show!” - White man 50-64, Republican, Northeast, habitually passive and habitually avoidant
There are clear partisan and generational silos of information, but social media is a common thread.
Whether they are just learning about a story or diving deeper, voters stick to the same information channels.
Whether they are just learning about a story or diving deeper, voters stick to the same information channels.
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How do people engage?
Who do people trust?
Who are the active, passive, and avoidant consumers?
An Embold Case Study: How does information reach people?
AGENDA
Questions? Post in the Q+A section below!
Four categories of news consumption behaviors:
Active
Passive
Non-avoidant
Avoidant
Habitually active, temporarily avoidant
Habitually active, non-avoidant
Habitually passive, non-avoidant
Habitually passive, habitually avoidant
| Active/Non-avoidant | Active/Avoidant | Passive/Non-avoidant | Passive/Avoidant |
Key Demographic Features | Much more likely to identify as Republican (54%) Slightly more likely to be college educated (41%) | More likely to be college educated (45%) | The highest proportion of 18-34 voters (31%) | Predominantly women (61%) Slightly more likely to be non-college educated (69%) |
Top Info Sources | Local TV news (49%), social media (41%), FOX News (41%) | Local TV news (42%), social media (39%), network TV news (39%) | Social media (45%), local TV news (36%), YouTube (30%) | Social media (40%), local TV news (32%), YouTube (25%) |
Ease of accessing information | 75% easy, 24% difficult | 57% easy, 42% difficult | 60% easy, 38% difficult | 46% easy, 50% difficult |
Top Reporting Pet Peeve | Inaccurate or misleading reporting (73%) | Inaccurate or misleading reporting (69%) | Biased or unfair reporting (67%) | Biased or unfair reporting (61%) |
Avoidance Style | Rarely if ever avoids the news, breaks are short and often related to a certain subject | Temporary and strategic mental health breaks or subject avoidance | Constant and strong feelings of overwhelm and powerlessness, leading to tuning out | Blanket distrust of news media, the main driver is defiance, not depression |
What sets these groups apart?
Regardless of their level of engagement, voters share similar critiques of news media.
Active
Passive
Non-avoidant
Avoidant
“Always an angle. Never given all the story. Only the angle that whatever the source wants to promote. Sensation [sells]. Facts don't.” – Black woman, 50-64
“It is full of lies. You cannot trust anything reporters say anymore.” – Hispanic man, 50-64
“It is based off of shock value and the current trends rather than giving us pertinent news on the world we live in and both the good and bad things that are happening in it” – Asian American man, 18-34
“If it is Fox Entertainment News it's false. If it is from CNN it's fake. If it comes from any RED source it is fake and also a lie.” – White woman, 65+
Whether it’s for news or entertainment, voters are chronically online…
…But report seeing different things.
What We Learned
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What we thought
What we found
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