Millennials are so over the US presidential election. After nearly two years of media speculation, around-the-clock coverage of bitter primary battles, and an escalating contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton that has engulfed social feeds, two-thirds—67%—of 18- to 29-year-olds say they are worn out by news coverage of the election, the Pew Research Center found.
And the rest of the population isn’t far behind. The November election is almost four months away, but most Americans are already sick and tired of hearing about it from the news media. Fifty-nine percent say they are spent by the exhaustive news coverage, according to a Pew survey that was released today (Jul. 14).
Many think the media is focusing far too much on candidates’ comments, like Trump’s often-outlandish remarks and Clinton’s heavy-handed putdowns. Forty-four percent of respondents said that candidates’ comments were getting too much attention from the news media. And 43% of people said they’ve heard enough about the candidates’ personal lives.
There is one thing most people want to hear more about: the issues. More than half of US adults surveyed—55%—said there has been too little coverage of candidates’ stances on the issues.
Another 45% want to hear more about candidates’ qualifications for the role of commander in chief. Democrats and people who lean Democratic are more eager to hear about this than Republicans and Republican leaners, the study found. That might have something to do with the candidates vying for the presidency: The presumptive Democratic nominee is an experienced politician, while the Republican contender is a business magnate who has never held an elected office.