Many Americans of voting age are seeking information on YouTube, according to a Pew Research Center study conducted in January on 12,000 adults.
According to the research center, 26% of them say they watch news videos on Google's service.
For the most part, YouTube is not their primary source of information.
But what kinds of informative videos are they viewing?
Because on this platform, independent creators play on equal terms with traditional media.
To understand this phenomenon, the authors of the study dissected the most popular YouTube news channels.
They discovered that half of them are run by independent designers.
The latter are particularly appreciated by users, who perceive them as being more free of tone.
These are above all opinions that the majority of respondents seek on YouTube.
However, they remain cautious about the content they consume: 63% believe that disinformation is an important or very important problem on YouTube.
Donald Trump arouses interest
If American adults are so attracted to independent news channels, it is because they address themes neglected by traditional media.
Many also come looking for conspiracy theories, says the Pew Research Center.
And this as the QAnon conspiracy movement takes on growing importance in the American election campaign.
More generally, the presidential election, and especially the President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, are among the subjects that generate the most commitment.
One third of the most watched news videos are about it.
They are mainly posted by independent channels.
"
To put it simply: the videos in which Donald Trump appears are seen more than the others,
" say the authors of the study.
Specifically, videos about Trump average 250,000 views, twice as many as videos about other topics.
Note that the videos studied date from December 2019, during the impeachment procedure of the American president, an event widely commented on in the media.
But the Pew Research Center still notes a lack of interest from YouTube channels in Democratic Party news.
The Pew Research study did not target Adults of voting age by age group.
But interest in political news videos appears even stronger among Gen Z, many of whom will be voting for the first time this year.
According to a Politico poll, 39% of this age group find out on YouTube about the November election at least once a day.
But the YouTube platform is not the only one to capture the attention of young adults.
33% and 21% of them consult Instagram and TikTok respectively every day to learn about the November ballot, according to Politico.