American News Pathways 2020 Project

More than two-thirds of adults ages 65 or older said they were following news of the pandemic very closely.

A new analysis of open-ended responses to a survey of U.S. adults looks at the specific storylines or claims about COVID-19 that Americans said they were exposed to.

Many U.S. news organizations are covering the coronavirus pandemic while themselves facing financial pressure from the outbreak.

While U.S. Democrats turn to a variety of outlets for political news, no source comes close to matching the appeal of Fox News for Republicans.

While 43% of Americans say the new coronavirus most likely came about naturally, nearly three-in-ten say it most likely was created in a lab.

Responses to cable news coverage and the pandemic vary notably among Americans who identify Fox News, MSNBC or CNN as their main source of political news.

Americans turn to a wide range of media outlets for political and election news, but Fox News and CNN stand out as especially common sources.

Despite the spread of the conspiracy theories, about three-quarters of U.S. adults say they have heard or read nothing at all about them.

More than half of these social media news consumers say they have encountered made-up news about COVID-19.

Hispanics are more concerned than Americans overall about the threat COVID-19 poses to Americans' health, their own finances and daily life.