In 2018, Johns Hopkins University conducted a poll to gauge Americans’ understanding of state politics. 

And the results? About one in four respondents didn’t know whether the federal or state government was in charge of law enforcement. Over half were unsure if their state allowed ballot initiatives. And most didn’t even realize that a full-time state legislator could be a job. 

It’s a sobering picture of a nation that’s turned its gaze too high. Americans tend to vastly overstate the authority of federal-level decisionmaking while in reality, they are far more impacted by the people in our state capitals than Washington. 

Today, more than ever, Americans are tuning out of politics. According to the Pew Research Center, 65% of Americans feel exhausted by politics. This isn’t intentional apathy; it’s burnout from an overzealous media and a biased education system that hinders meaningful discourse. 

The media portrays politics in a particular light. Dylan Matthews, senior correspondent at Vox, writes, “Humans, it turns out, have what social psychologists call a ‘negativity bias’: We tend to pay more attention to bad-seeming information than good-seeming information.” The profitability of negative stories is why media corporations such as Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN constantly saturate their coverage with fear, scandal, and outrage. In the second quarter of 2025, according to Adweek, a combined total of nearly 4.2 million Americans were reached by such news from these corporations during primetime coverage. 

In contrast, civics education has become an afterthought. Between 2010 and 2020, the federal budget has plummeted by a staggering $145 million. As a policy brief from the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy reveals, the federal government has instead placed an larger emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects. The result: a generation of Americans who can recite the quadratic formula but can’t describe the role of a state legislator. 

Consequently, the American public is emotionally exhausted, yet uninformed.

But disengagement has consequences. We can’t forget that every issue we care about––housing, pollution, taxes––is inherently political. When we stop following politics, politicians stop being held accountable. That’s how we get legislators who vote against their campaign promises and still keep their positions. 

So, how do we keep up with modern politics without falling into the negativity bias? 

For starters, we need to rethink how we consume political content. On YouTube, Substack, and other social media platforms, independent creators such as Brian Tyler Cohen and Kyle Kulinski (for the left) or Johnny Harris and Chris Cillizza (for the center or the right) offer content that break down current events, sometimes in greater depth than corporate media. 

For those who prefer long-form content, I co-founded @state_of_delusion25, a nonpartisan social media project that posts short-form content informing voters about state politics. We break down who your legislators are, how their voting record compares to their campaign promises, and how money influences their actions. Our goal is to make civic engagement easier and less exhausting. Furthermore, we want to empower voters to hold politicians accountable for their campaign promises. 

Politics doesn’t have to drain us. It can connect and empower, but only if we approach it differently. Whether you choose to follow independent creators or consume short-form content, there are ways to stay informed that don’t harm your mental well-being. And if we really care about the most pressing issues in society, holding our politicians accountable is non-negotiable. So yes, while politics may be tiring, now is just not the time to check out.