CivicScience reveals how Trump and Harris voters got their content

CivicScience, a leading consumer analytics and privacy-first advertising company, has released new data on the media platforms most used by voters in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.

The recent election results again demonstrated how divided Americans have become across political, socio-cultural and geographic lines. The platforms voters turned to for content — including traditional, digital and social channels — also varied widely.   

CivicScience analyzed the self-reported media consumption habits of over 30,000 Trump and Harris voters in the months leading up to the Nov. 5 election, uncovering stark differences between the two groups. The data also highlights key differences among the voting-age population along gender lines.

"These findings paint a highly fragmented and rapidly changing picture of U.S. media consumption," said CivicScience Founder and CEO John Dick. "The tribal nature of Americans' media habits is no longer limited to what they read, watch or listen to, but how they access that content altogether."  

Key findings:

• Harris voters are more active than Trump voters on Threads, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.
• Male Harris voters are much more likely than other segments to use LinkedIn (45%). Also notable: male Trump voters are slightly more active on the platform than female Trump and Harris voters (38%).
• Trump voters are more likely to use Twitter/X.
• Facebook usage shows equal footing among the voter segments, but the most significant difference in both female Harris and Trump voters: they each use it at a higher rate (7 and 8 pts, respectively) than their male counterparts.
• Harris voters are slightly more likely than Trump voters to watch cable network news in general. However, a breakdown by channels shows that Harris voters unsurprisingly skew much higher toward watching CNN and MSNBC, whereas Trump voters skew toward watching Fox News.
• Male Harris voters are more likely to watch cable network news channels than female Harris voters (71%).
• Male Trump voters are the most likely to listen to podcasts in general.
• Disney+, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video stand out: Usage is much higher among Harris voters than Trump voters.
• Harris voters are much more likely to watch local news "every day."
• Harris voters are slightly more likely than Trump voters to be print newspaper subscribers across both genders.

CivicScience's analysis of media consumption among Trump and Harris voters underscores the deep divides in American media habits. These insights reveal distinct content preferences and how demographics shape where voters turn for news and information. As the media landscape evolves, understanding these consumption patterns is crucial for grasping the full scope of voter sentiment and the forces driving political narratives across the country. 

Categories analyzed (included in this PDF): social media platforms, cable news networks, broadcast TV networks and other news programming, music streaming, podcasts, radio, video streaming, local TV news and print newspapers. 

About CivicScience:

CivicScience is a consumer analytics and advertising company that owns the world's largest and most dynamic attitudinal database ever built. Our first-party, responsibly sourced data enables brands, advertisers, and media companies to see and influence the future. Learn more at https://civicscience.com.