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- cross-posted to:
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Americans who get their news primarily from cable are the only people who believe that Israel is not committing a genocide in Gaza, according to according to a new survey that examined the relationship between attitudes toward the war and news consumption habits.
The survey puts numbers on trends that have become increasingly apparent: Cable news viewers are more supportive of Israel’s war effort, less likely to think Israel is committing war crimes, and less interested in the war in general. People who get their news primarily from social media, YouTube, or podcasts, by contrast, generally side with the Palestinians, believe Israel is committing war crimes and genocide, and consider the issue of significant importance.
When it comes to the salience of the war on Gaza as an electoral concern, the trend continues. Just 12 percent of the overall public lists it as a top three issue, and just 3 percent say it’s their top issue. Of that 3 percent, nearly all of them get their news from social media or YouTube. One in 5 social media news consumers say Israel’s war is a top-three issue; the same is true for 18- to 29-year-olds.
Asked if Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, cable news viewers said no by a 34-32 margin. All other news consumers said Israel is committing genocide, including print (36-33), YouTube (41-31), and social media users, who agree with the statement by a 44 to 19 percent margin. People aged 18 to 29, meanwhile, have similar views (48-21 percent), while those over 65 say by a 47 to 21 percent plurality that Israel isn’t committing genocide.
Makes me wonder how much is causation vs correlation. Other studies show a clear age divide on the Israel-Palestine conflict, with elderly people more likely to support Israel and younger people more likely to support Palestine.
Each group happens to get their news through different media, with boomers more likely to watch cable TV and younger generations more familiar with getting news from the internet.
I don’t think that necessarily speaks to the quality or accuracy of news across each medium, because you’ll still find bullshit all over the place. Despite the large volume of Israeli apologia/misinformation on the internet, young people are still sympathetic to Palestine because they know not to take claims at face value. And boomers in denial can be presented with factual, provable truths on TV yet still wave them off as liberal conspiracies.