Forget the one-size-fits-all newsfeed; from Gen Z scrolling on TikTok and seniors watching TV to veterans turning to national outlets and college grads opening their news apps, these eye-opening statistics reveal how your identity, location, and even your income dramatically shape the way you consume news today.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, 54% of U.S. adults under 30 got news primarily from social media platforms
- Women in the U.S. are 10% more likely than men to consume news via online video, with 42% vs 32% in 2022
- Among U.S. adults aged 65+, 68% prefer TV as their main news source compared to 28% for digital in 2023
- 71% of smartphone owners in U.S. aged 18-29 use phones for news weekly in 2023
- 45% of U.S. tablet users access news apps daily vs 32% smartphone-only users in 2022
- Desktop/laptop remains primary for 28% of U.S. news consumers over 50 in 2023
- 48% of U.S. adults check news multiple times daily on mobile in 2023
- Average U.S. adult spends 1.2 hours daily on news across all platforms in 2022
- 36% of U.S. 18-29 year-olds consume news hourly via apps in 2023
- 41% of U.S. adults name cable TV networks as main source in 2023
- Social media overtaken TV as U.S. main news source for under-30s at 48% in 2023
- Local TV stations preferred by 52% U.S. for community news in 2022
- 44% of U.S. adults trust news media overall in 2023, down 4% YoY
- Only 14% U.S. adults trust social media much for news accuracy in 2023
- 58% Americans trust local news outlets highly in 2022
News consumption varies widely by age, location, and demographics, shaping distinct media habits.
Demographics
- In 2023, 54% of U.S. adults under 30 got news primarily from social media platforms
- Women in the U.S. are 10% more likely than men to consume news via online video, with 42% vs 32% in 2022
- Among U.S. adults aged 65+, 68% prefer TV as their main news source compared to 28% for digital in 2023
- Black Americans get news from local TV at 59% rate vs 41% for White Americans in 2022
- College graduates in U.S. are 22% more likely to use news apps daily than non-grads at 35% vs 28% in 2023
- Rural U.S. residents rely on cable TV news at 52% compared to 37% urban in 2023
- Hispanic Americans under 50 consume news podcasts at 24% rate vs 12% overall in 2022
- U.S. adults 18-29 with children get news from TikTok at 41% vs 29% without in 2023
- High-income U.S. households ($100k+) use print newspapers at 18% vs 9% low-income in 2022
- LGBTQ+ Americans in U.S. turn to social media for news 15% more than straight adults at 62% in 2023
- Veterans in U.S. prefer national news outlets at 71% vs 55% civilians in 2022
- U.S. adults with disabilities use voice assistants for news at 19% vs 11% able-bodied in 2023
- In the UK, 18-24 year-olds get 48% of news from YouTube in 2023
- UK women over 55 cite radio as news source at 39% vs 28% men in 2023
- Australian Gen Z (16-24) uses Instagram for news at 52% in 2023
- German adults 50+ prefer TV news at 72% vs 41% under 30 in 2023
- French millennials get news from Snapchat at 31% rate in 2023
- Indian urban women 25-34 use WhatsApp for news at 67% in 2023
- Brazilian low-income groups rely on Facebook news at 58% vs 42% high-income in 2022
- Japanese seniors 65+ read print news daily at 81% in 2023
- South African youth 18-24 prefer TikTok news at 45% in 2023
- Canadian immigrants get news from ethnic media at 34% vs 19% non-immigrants in 2022
- In U.S., Republicans 50+ trust Fox News at 76% vs 22% Democrats same age in 2023
- Independents aged 30-49 in U.S. use news newsletters at 26% in 2023
- U.S. parents of teens get news from their kids' social feeds indirectly at 37% in 2022
- Urban professionals in U.S. 25-44 subscribe to news apps at 29% vs 14% overall in 2023
- In Europe, rural adults use local radio news 18% more than urban at 44% in 2023
- U.S. Gen X (44-59) multitasks news with work at 51% daily in 2022
- Female gamers in U.S. get gaming news via Twitch at 38% vs 22% non-gamers in 2023
Demographics Interpretation
It seems our global news diet is now a hyper-personalized buffet where your age, paycheck, and postal code determine whether you're doomscrolling TikTok, clutching a print newspaper, or yelling at the television, creating a fragmented reality where two people can live in the same year but not the same world.
Device Usage
- 71% of smartphone owners in U.S. aged 18-29 use phones for news weekly in 2023
- 45% of U.S. tablet users access news apps daily vs 32% smartphone-only users in 2022
- Desktop/laptop remains primary for 28% of U.S. news consumers over 50 in 2023
- 62% of smart TV owners in U.S. stream news videos weekly in 2023
- Voice-activated devices used for news by 22% U.S. adults, rising 8% YoY in 2023
- 51% of U.S. wearable device owners check news notifications hourly in 2022
- E-readers used for news by 14% U.S. adults, mostly long-form articles in 2023
- In UK, 67% use smartphones for news, up from 63% in 2022 per Reuters
- 39% of Australians access news via laptops/desktops daily in 2023
- German news consumers use tablets at 26% rate for in-depth reading in 2023
- French smart speaker news usage hit 18% in 2023
- Indian mobile-only news access at 89% due to smartphone penetration in 2023
- Brazilian TV streaming apps on smart TVs used by 55% for news in 2023
- Japanese console gamers get news via Nintendo Switch at 12% in 2023
- South African feature phone users still get SMS news alerts at 31% in 2023
- Canadian console users access news on Xbox/PS at 21% weekly in 2022
- U.S. AR/VR headset owners experiment with news immersion at 7% in 2023
- UK e-ink device news reading up 5% to 16% among avid readers in 2023
Device Usage Interpretation
Our news consumption is fracturing into a thousand digital shards, from the hourly buzz on our wrists to the immersive experiments in our headsets, yet each screen ultimately tells the same old human story: we're desperate to know what's happening, just on our own peculiar terms.
Frequency & Time Spent
- 48% of U.S. adults check news multiple times daily on mobile in 2023
- Average U.S. adult spends 1.2 hours daily on news across all platforms in 2022
- 36% of U.S. 18-29 year-olds consume news hourly via apps in 2023
- Weekend news consumption spikes 25% higher than weekdays for U.S. adults in 2023
- 29% of U.S. adults listen to news podcasts weekly, averaging 4 hours/month in 2022
- Morning news routine for 57% U.S. adults, checking first thing upon waking in 2023
- Evening news TV viewing averages 45 minutes for U.S. over-50s daily in 2023
- U.S. social media news scrolling sessions average 15 minutes per visit in 2022
- In UK, daily news users at 71%, with 23% checking 5+ times/day in 2023
- Australians spend 47 minutes daily on news apps in 2023
- Germans average 1.5 hours weekly on long-form news online in 2023
- French users check news 4.2 times daily on average in 2023
- Indians dedicate 1.8 hours daily to news video content in 2023
- Brazilians multitask news with commuting at 62% daily in 2023
- Japanese salarymen read news 20 minutes during lunch daily at 68% in 2023
- South Africans access news 3 times daily amid loadshedding disruptions in 2023
- Canadians spend 52 minutes daily on news podcasts/radio in 2022
- U.S. night owls consume news between 10pm-2am at 19% rate in 2023
- UK bedtime news reading on apps averages 12 minutes for 34% in 2023
Frequency & Time Spent Interpretation
Americans are mainlining news like digital caffeine from dawn to midnight, yet globally we find the French checking four times a day with Gallic precision, Japanese salarymen scheduling it with lunch, and South Africans refreshing around load-shedding schedules, proving that our hunger for information has become a meticulously timed, worldwide nervous habit.
Source Preferences
- 41% of U.S. adults name cable TV networks as main source in 2023
- Social media overtaken TV as U.S. main news source for under-30s at 48% in 2023
- Local TV stations preferred by 52% U.S. for community news in 2022
- National newspapers like NYT/WSJ used by 24% U.S. weekly in 2023
- Podcasts chosen over radio by 31% U.S. young adults for audio news in 2023
- Online-only sites like HuffPost/Axios at 19% U.S. usage in 2023
- In UK, BBC is top source at 58% across platforms in 2023
- YouTube overtakes Facebook as news source for 38% Australians in 2023
- ARD/ZDF public TV top in Germany at 65% trust/preference in 2023
- Facebook still dominant news source in France at 42% in 2023
- WhatsApp groups primary for 55% Indian news sharing in 2023
- Globo TV leads Brazil news at 49% viewership in 2023
- NHK public broadcaster preferred by 72% Japanese in 2023
- News24 online top in South Africa at 44% in 2023
- CBC remains trusted source for 61% Canadians in 2022
- Fox News top for U.S. Republicans at 59% in 2023
- Guardian/Mirror preferred by UK left-leaning at 37% in 2023
- CNN/MSNBC lead U.S. Democrats at 48% combined in 2023
Source Preferences Interpretation
Our media diets are now a paradox of local staples, polarized national menus, and algorithmically-delivered appetizers served on a global buffet where the only universal truth is that the channel, platform, and politics change with the zip code.
Trust Levels
- 44% of U.S. adults trust news media overall in 2023, down 4% YoY
- Only 14% U.S. adults trust social media much for news accuracy in 2023
- 58% Americans trust local news outlets highly in 2022
- National news trust at 40% for U.S. Democrats vs 11% Republicans in 2023
- 27% trust TV news a great deal in U.S., steady since 2021 per Gallup 2023
- UK public broadcasters trusted by 62% vs 32% social media in 2023
- Australian trust in news fell to 40% overall in 2023
- Germany highest trust in news at 54% among 46 countries in 2023
- France news trust at 29%, lowest in Western Europe 2023
- India polarized trust: 51% overall but varies by politics in 2023
- Brazil trust in news media at 41%, up slightly in 2023
- Japan trust levels stable at 48% for mainstream media in 2023
- South Africa trust dropped to 35% amid misinformation in 2023
- Canada news trust at 45%, higher for public media in 2022
- U.S. podcast news trust at 33%, rising among young in 2023
- UK tabloid trust low at 21% vs broadsheets 49% in 2023
Trust Levels Interpretation
Americans are increasingly trusting their neighbors' gossip over national headlines, a global trend where faith in news dissolves into partisan acid except in Germany, where they apparently still believe in things.
Sources & References
- Reference 1PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 2REUTERSINSTITUTEreutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.ukVisit source
- Reference 3DIGITALNEWSREPORTdigitalnewsreport.orgVisit source
- Reference 4NIELSENnielsen.comVisit source
- Reference 5STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 6CBCcbc.caVisit source
- Reference 7NEWSnews.gallup.comVisit source
- Reference 8EDELMANedelman.comVisit source