Nationwide online survey of 1,200 adults, June 2026
A nationwide survey examined how Americans' sense of political division shifts depending on whether they're consuming national or local media. Key findings include:
- More than two-thirds of both self-identified Republicans and Democrats agreed that when they step away from national cable news and social media and focus on their local community, the world feels much less politically divided.
- More than 7 in 10 Republicans, Democrats and independents agreed that unlike national news, which feels designed to provoke anger, local news helps them stay connected to their actual neighbors.
- Local news was rated the least biased, least politically divisive and most trusted source of information across the country.
Read the full analysis: The Local Antidote: Why Americans Feel Less Divided Close to Home
