Most Republicans prefer not to hear celebrities’ political takes as Americans seem to be experiencing “information overload” post-election, a poll released Thursday showed.
AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published a poll titled, “Most adults feel the need to limit political news consumption due to fatigue and information overload.”
Sixty-one percent of Republicans strongly/somewhat disapproved of celebrities speaking out about political issues, while 27% neither approved nor disapproved and 11% strongly/somewhat approved. For Democrats, however, 20% strongly/somewhat disapproved, while 40% neither approved nor disapproved and 39% strongly/somewhat approved.
Much of America is still reeling from a contentious election, to the point where many are apparently burned out on political news altogether.
“Sixty-five percent of adults have felt the need to limit their media consumption about the government and politics due to information overload, fatigue, or similar reasons and half feel the same for overseas conflicts,” according to the poll’s summary of findings. “Around four in ten adults feel the same way about news on the economy and climate change.”
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to claim they feel the need to limit their media consumption of stories about government and politics overall, at 72% vs. 59%.
“People are not eager for politics to mix with their entertainment or commerce experiences,” according to the summary. “Forty-three percent of adults approve of small businesses speaking out on political issues and 20% disapprove. But, only a quarter approve of celebrities, professional athletes, or large companies speaking out, while 4 in 10 disapprove.”
The study noted that “Democrats are more likely than Republicans to approve of celebrities, professional athletes, and large companies speaking out about politics. Small businesses speaking out on political issues is viewed similarly by Democrats and Republicans.”
One of the major takeaways of the 2024 election was that podcasts that focus on political and cultural commentary, like the “Joe Rogan Experience,” seemingly influenced voters more than endorsements from celebrity entertainers like Taylor Swift.
When she endorsed the Harris-Walz campaign in 2024, it was deemed a blow to the Trump campaign, but President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris indicates that Swift’s endorsement might not have had the actual impact Democrats were hoping for.
According to AP VoteCast, 44% of women between ages 18 and 44 voted for Trump, while 48% of women 45 and older supported him.
The AP/NORC poll was conducted between Dec. 5 and 9 using a probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews were conducted among 1,251 adults.
The overall margin of sampling error for the poll was +/- 3.7 percentage points.
Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.
