While Baby Boomers typically flip on local TV news to follow the latest political scandal, Millennials are more likely to scroll through their Facebook feeds.
According to a new Pew poll, news consumption breaks down along stark generational lines, with 61 percent of Millennials (aged 18-33) saying they get political news from Facebook each week, compared to only 39 percent of Boomers (aged 50-68). On the flip side, 60 percent of Boomers rely on local TV for news, while only 37 percent of Millennials say the same.
The results of the poll, which surveyed 2,901 adults, can be understood as part of a broader shift away from TV viewership among young people. While Boomers raised on cable news continue to depend on it, many young adults do not own televisions at all. Instead, Millennials seek out news on the same platforms where they’re already consuming other information: social networks.
As it turns out, this holds a key advantage in our highly fragmented media environment. According to the Pew researchers, “Most Facebook users who pay attention to political content…see views on the site that aren’t in line with their own.”
