New Poll: Majority Getting Info from Conservative News Think Flu is Deadlier Than Coronavirus

A new Gallup poll shows that Americans who are getting most of their Coronavirus news from conservatives outlets believe the disease is less deadly or as deadly as the season flu. Respondents who get most of their information from sources like Fox News and Breitbart also overwhelmingly thought the media was giving the pandemic too much attention.

Of those who said they consumed only conservative news, 57% said Coronavirus was less deadly or as deadly as the seasonal flu. Covid-19 has a significantly higher mortality rate than flu and the human body does not have the same ability to fight Coronavirus.

A further 71% of conservative news consumers believed the media was giving the issue too much attention, while a staggering 94% believed President Donald Trump was doing a good or excellent job at handling the virus. Both Trump and his media allies have frequently downplayed the virus.

Unsurprisingly, a majority of Republicans, even those with mixed news diets, agreed that Covid-19 was no more dangerous than the flu and that the media was giving it too much attention. A full 98% of Republicans with exclusively conservative news diets endorsed the President’s handling of the crisis.

These results are consistent with many other studies about Americans who get their news solely or primarily from conservative outlets, especially big hitters like Fox News. Pro-Trump outlets have sought to undermine the severity of the disease since the beginning.