Study: Conservative Media Consumers More Likely To Get Facts Right

From April 29 to May 3, Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute, a national free-market think tank, conducted a nationwide survey of 2,000 likely voters. 

Included in the poll was a series of questions asking likely voters how they receive news and information, as well as questions about a variety of topics in the news: the U.S. national debt, the percentage of Americans without health coverage, and tax rates paid by wealthy individuals and families. The following results from the survey illustrate likely voters’ views on these important issues, as well as how those views are correlated with news media preferences.

Some of The Heartland Institute’s key findings from an analysis of the survey results include:

• There is a strong correlation between a likely voter’s favorite television news outlet and his or her understanding of basic facts about important topics in the news.
• Generally speaking, respondents who identified CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, or NBC as their “favorite” TV news outlet were more likely to incorrectly answer questions about the national debt, the income tax rate paid by the wealthy, and the percentage of the population that’s uninsured than the viewers of Fox News or “another” cable or network news station (such as The Blaze TV or Newsmax).
• Our survey also seems to indicate that those who do not watch cable news or network news are more likely to answer our questions about the news accurately than the viewers of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, or NBC.
• Compared to viewers of Fox News, “another” cable news outlet, and those who don’t watch network news, viewers of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC are substantially more likely to underestimate the size of the national debt, with many dramatically underestimating the debt.
• For example, 69% of CBS viewers and 65% of NBC viewers underestimated the national debt, compared to 44% for those who said they don’t watch network news.
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  About 30% of CNN viewers and 32% of CBS viewers said the national debt was only $5 trillion or less. For context, the U.S. national debt has not been that low since 1995, more than 25 years ago.
• Fox News viewers and those who watch “another” cable network not listed among survey results (such as The Blaze TV or Newsmax) were most likely to accurately identify the national debt, with 35% and 37%, respectfully, making the correct selection.
• Viewers of Fox News or “another” cable network not listed in the survey, as well as those who “don’t watch” cable or network news, were also most likely to accurately identify the top federal income tax rate.
• About two-thirds of the viewers of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC underestimated the top tax rate. About 30% of the viewers of those networks said the top tax rate is just 20% or less.
• Compared to viewers of Fox News, “another” cable news outlet, and those who don’t watch network news, viewers of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and NBC are substantially more likely to underestimate the percentage of the U.S. population that has health coverage.
• More than 90% of the viewers of CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and NBC underestimated the percentage of the population that has health coverage, and a substantial number of those polled dramatically underestimated the number.
• For example, 63% of CNN viewers said at least 20% of the U.S. population did not have health coverage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The actual answer is about 8.8%.
• Although viewers of Fox News and other cable networks were most likely to correctly select the percentage of the U.S. population without health care coverage, a sizeable percentage of these audiences also underestimated the size of the insured population (82%).