Just over a quarter of Americans are trying to avoid the news, and two-thirds of Democrats say reading or watching the news now puts them in a bad mood
Anyone can be forgiven for expecting that, in the wake of America's most bitter election in living memory, the tide of news and opinion would recede and allow people to catch their breath. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, as the coverage of the campaign has been replaced by coverage of the transition as Donald Trump plans to take office early next year.
Research from YouGov shows that as America deals with the fallout of the election, 27% of the country is actively trying to avoid the news. Democrats (36%) are the most likely to be making an effort to avert their gaze from newspapers and television news, but the divide is not as significant as one might expect. 21% of Republicans are also trying to avoid the news.
Very few Americans (11%) say that reading or watching the news has put them in a good mood in recent days. Only 3% of Democrats say that it is, and even among Republicans only 26% say that the news puts them in a good mood. Just under half the country (46%) say that the news puts them in a bad mood, though Democrats (63%) are nearly twice as likely as Republicans (35%) to say that.
