Table 2.
Differences by media sources used
| Fox News | MSNBC or CNN | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Did use (N = 1461) |
Did not use (N = 4056) |
Did use (N = 1815) |
Did not use (N = 3702) |
| Political affiliation (%) | ||||
| Democrat | 25% | 41%*** | 63%*** | 24% |
| Republican | 49%*** | 26% | 12% | 42%*** |
| Third Party/Independent | 26% | 33%*** | 25% | 34%*** |
| Demographics (%) | ||||
| Aged 65 or older | 28%*** | 17% | 22%** | 18% |
| Male | 52%** | 47% | 50% | 48% |
| White | 62% | 67%** | 55% | 71%*** |
| African-American | 17%*** | 11% | 22%*** | 9% |
| Hispanic/Latinx | 16% | 17% | 17% | 16% |
| Other minority | 7% | 8% | 10%*** | 7% |
| College degree | 23% | 38%*** | 40%*** | 31% |
| Mean (SD) COVID-19 risk perceptions | ||||
| Getting infected | 22.23 (21.28) | 24.72 (22.16)*** | 25.20 (22.25) ** | 23.50 (21.78) |
| Getting hospitalized if infected | 30.79 (29.92)** | 27.84 (27.49) | 30.71 (28.92) *** | 27.59 (27.76) |
| Dying if infected | 22.26 (25.32)** | 20.12 (24.78) | 22.76 (26.01) *** | 19.67 (24.34) |
| Running out of money | 19.75 (27.93) | 18.24 (26.37) | 19.31 (26.92) | 18.32 (26.74) |
| Policy preferences (%) | ||||
| Concern states open too quickly | 60% | 74%*** | 85%*** | 63% |
| Concern own state open too quickly | 60% | 72%*** | 83%*** | 61% |
| Protective behaviors (%) | ||||
| Worn mask or face covering | 54%*** | 45% | 88%*** | 80% |
| Washed hands | 93% | 93% | 94%** | 92% |
| Avoided public spaces or crowds | 84% | 84% | 91%*** | 80% |
| Avoided high-risk individuals | 83%* | 80% | 84%*** | 79% |
| Canceled travel | 54%*** | 45% | 54%*** | 45% |
Note: Highest values between users and non-users are flagged ***p < 0.001; **p < 0.01; *p < 0.05; Post-stratification weights were applied. Chi-square tests examined differences in demographic variables, policy preferences and protective behaviors. T-tests examined differences in COVID-19 risk perceptions. White, African-American, and other minorities were not Hispanic/Latinx