Wave 17: Election news, the holiday season, and more

Wave 17 of our POOL research, which examines how COVID-19 is affecting consumer behaviors, media consumption, and more, took place W/C November 6, with 989 participants.

Some key insights from the research:

• With the presidential election, we see a self-reported shift this wave towards election and political news and away from spending more time with local news, health, and economy content, which has been consistently reported with higher consumption since March. For the election coverage, Americans primarily tuned in to Live TV/Cable news (driven by Boomers), social media (driven by Gen Z), news sites, and search engines (driven by Millennials).
• Hope is the top sentiment Americans feel when asked about the upcoming holiday season – however, positive sentiment is felt more by Gen Z, while Boomers are feeling more negative. Americans still plan to shop for gifts and spend time with friends/family, but they will change how they travel and take vacation.
• Looking forward to 2021, Americans are more optimistic than pessimistic about the state of COVID as more believe it will be better then worse. In 2021, Americans expect to prioritize their finances and mental health the most. They aim to do this by saving money, reducing their stress, eating healthier, and socializing with friends/family.

Get more details in our latest infographic below.