by Wayne Friedman , 4 hours ago

Young media consumers ages 18 to 29 are much more interested in the news around the death of George Floyd than following the 2020 presidential candidates, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Pew Research says just 35% of those ages 18-29 are following the 2020 Presidential election “very or fairly closely” -- versus 83% who are following demonstrations connected to the death of George Floyd.

But young viewers are keenly interested in the COVID-19 pandemic, with 75% “very or fairly closely” following that news.

There is a divide among younger adults in terms of the importance of COVID-19 news. About a third of 18- to 29-year-olds (35%) say the COVID-19 pandemic has been made into a "bigger" deal than it really is (close to the overall average for all age groups) But at the same time, y ounger adults are more likely to say it has been made into a "smaller" deal (32%) than it should have been. This result is higher than any other age group.

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Older U.S. citizens remain the main consumers of news content -- among 50- to-64-year-olds, the number is 60% when it comes to the presidential election, 91% in terms of COVID-19 issues, and 84% following demonstrations and news related to the death of George Floyd.

All adults -- from the age of 18 to those 65 and older -- have a similarly strong interest in following demonstrations and news related to the death of George Floyd -- ranging anywhere from 83% to 90%.

The research comes from a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted from June 4-10 as part of its American News Pathways project.