President Trump and Democratic presidential hopeful Joseph R. Biden now have an unexpected competitor. The presidential election is now playing second fiddle to the coronavirus on the public stage, according to new research. Americans are more interested in the pandemic than politics.
A Pew Research Center report reveals that 88% of U.S. adults are paying close attention to news of the coronavirus pandemic while 52% are following news of the presidential contenders.
There is no partisan differences. Identical numbers of Republicans and Democrats mirror those findings. The news has literally gone viral.
“The findings underscore the extent to which the pandemic has come to dominate media coverage and public attention,” wrote analyst Mark Jurkowitz.
“When asked if it is personally important to receive messages and statements relating to the election and other important issues from the Trump and Biden campaigns themselves, fewer than half (44%) of Americans say it is very important or somewhat important. A slight majority (55%) say it is not too important or not at all important,” Mr. Jurkowitz said.
The results are based on an analysis of an Pew Research Center American Trends survey of 10,139 U.S. adults conducted April 20-26 and released Monday.
