Americans Exhausted by Politics as 2024 Election Approaches
With the 2024 U.S. presidential election looming, many Americans report political fatigue. A psychiatrist highlights that fear, social media bubbles, and politicised identities contribute to this exhaustion. Research shows that a significant percentage of the population is feeling overwhelmed and disengaged from politics, with implications for civic participation.
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, many Americans express fatigue when it comes to following political news. A psychiatrist recently shared insights from her patients, some of whom have stopped paying attention to politics altogether, reflecting a trend of disillusionment in the populace. During this election season, there are noticeably fewer political yard signs, perhaps indicative of a broader sense of apathy.
This psychiatrist, who focuses on fear and anxiety, has long encouraged her patients to minimize their exposure to political news, arguing that relentless engagement with cable news only fuels feelings of helplessness and dread. In recent conversations, though, patients tell her they’ve either switched off political coverage entirely or can only manage brief encounters with the news.
Supporting her observations, a Pew Research study from 2020 reported that 66% of Americans felt worn out by political stress. Alarmingly, among those tuning out the news, that number jumps to 73%. By 2023, a staggering 80% of Americans associated U.S. politics with negative descriptors such as “divisive” and “corrupt.”
Three factors seem to contribute to Americans’ political exhaustion. Firstly, there’s the pervasive politics of fear. In her recent book, “AFRAID”, the psychiatrist discusses how fear is leveraged by politicians and media to ensnare attention, effectively creating a tribal environment that pits Americans against each other.
Secondly, many Americans find themselves in echo chambers, especially on social media, where their feeds reflect only their viewpoints. This influences their perception of those with differing opinions, reinforcing beliefs that the opposing side is not only wrong but also morally inferior.
Lastly, political beliefs have morphed into a core aspect of identity. In a 2022 Pew survey, majorities from both political camps indicated that they see political stances as indicative of a person’s morality. This dehumanization only serves to stoke the fires of animosity in everyday interactions, stripping away any semblance of common ground.
From a psychological and neurological perspective, fear plays a crucial role in shaping our behaviour. It can drive attention and memory towards perceived threats, making disengaging from fear-laden content difficult. But excessive fear often leads to “learned helplessness”—a state where people feel they have no control over distressing scenarios, prompting disengagement and apathy.
The psychiatrist cited the classic experiment by Martin Seligman with dogs, which illustrated that when individuals believe they lack influence over their circumstances, they may cease attempts to improve their situation—a phenomenon mirrored in many patients suffering from prolonged anxiety and fear since the COVID-19 pandemic and a decade of political turmoil.
In summary, the American public appears increasingly weary of political engagement due to fear, echo chambers, and politicised identities. Many have opted to tune out as a coping mechanism to manage overwhelming news cycles. As the election nears, this trend raises questions about civic participation in an era marked by divisiveness and stress. It may be crucial for individuals to step back from the noise and focus on their well-being.
Original Source: theconversation.com
