WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New data from a Gallup/Knight Foundation survey shows that 27% of Americans consider the frequent presidential briefings about the coronavirus situation to be a "major" source of information. Another 26% say they are a "minor" source, and a 46% plurality of U.S. adults report that they do not use the briefings as a source of information.
These results are from an upcoming series on trust in the media in the age of COVID-19, part of the Knight Foundation's Trust, Media and Democracy initiative. The survey was conducted April 14-20, prior to the president's suggestion during a briefing that injecting disinfectant in a patient's lungs or using ultraviolet light could be used as a treatment therapy for COVID-19. In the aftermath of his remarks, Donald Trump threatened to discontinue the briefings, but he reversed course and appeared in the Rose Garden on Monday afternoon to outline plans for increased COVID-19 testing in the U.S.
The survey found partisans' reliance on the briefings diverges sharply, as 64% of Republicans say they are a major information source, but far fewer independents (23%) and Democrats (5%) say the same.
