In the context of the long-lasting coronavirus crisis, this study examines the occurrence, causes, and consequences of issue fatigue – a phenomenon that refers to a feeling of annoyance with an issue that is repeated continually in the news. Using data obtained from a representative two-wave panel survey conducted online in April and May 2020 (n = 1,232) in Germany, the study employed a cross-lagged panel model to examine longitudinal relations. First, the results indicate that a considerable share of the German population already felt fatigued with the coronavirus issue in April, and that this proportion increased by May. Second, in terms of causes, the results show that perceptions of low news credibility and perceived “victimization” of other topics caused high levels of issue fatigue. However, effects of the reverse direction were also present, pointing to a mutual reinforcement of issue fatigue and media perceptions. Third, regarding consequences, the results reveal that recipients experiencing issue fatigue increasingly avoided coronavirus news, and also tended to disregard coronavirus hygiene rules.

中文翻译：

---

当公民受够了。问题疲劳的原因和后果——冠状病毒危机期间的两波小组研究结果

在长期持续的冠状病毒危机的背景下，这项研究调查了问题疲劳的发生、原因和后果——这种现象指的是对新闻中不断重复出现的问题感到烦恼。该研究使用从 2020 年 4 月和 2020 年 5 月在德国在线进行的代表性双波面板调查（n = 1,232）获得的数据，采用交叉滞后面板模型来检查纵向关系。首先，结果表明，相当一部分德国人在 4 月份就已经对冠状病毒问题感到疲倦，而且这一比例在 5 月份有所上升。其次，就原因而言，结果表明，对新闻可信度低的看法和对其他话题的“受害”看法导致了高度的问题疲劳。然而，反方向的影响也存在，指出问题疲劳和媒体认知相互强化。第三，关于后果，结果显示经历问题疲劳的接受者越来越多地回避冠状病毒新闻，并且也倾向于无视冠状病毒卫生规则。