News is no longer just something we “check” because in 2024’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 77% of UK adults and 61% of Germans now use online news at least weekly, while social media, messaging apps, podcasts, and even print, radio, and TV are all shaping how people consume news across the world.
Key Takeaways
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 77% of adults in the UK said they use online news at least weekly
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 68% of adults in the UK said they use social media at least weekly to access news
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 56% of adults in the UK said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of respondents in the UK said they trust most news most of the time
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 36% of respondents in Germany said they trust most news most of the time
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of respondents in Spain said they trust most news most of the time
- In 2024, 43% of respondents in the UK said they pay for at least one news product (subscriptions or one-off payments) (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 UK)
- In 2024, 33% of respondents in Germany said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Germany)
- In 2024, 25% of respondents in Spain said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Spain)
- In the UK, 37% of adults said they get news from Facebook at least weekly (Ofcom 2023/2024 News Consumption UK)
- In the UK, 26% of adults said they get news from YouTube at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
- In the UK, 20% of adults said they get news from Instagram at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% of UK respondents said they access news via social media (at least weekly)
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via social media at least weekly
- In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via messaging apps at least weekly
People access news weekly online and social media, but trust varies globally.
News Use & Frequency
1In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 77% of adults in the UK said they use online news at least weekly[1]
Directional
2In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 68% of adults in the UK said they use social media at least weekly to access news[1]
Single source
3In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 56% of adults in the UK said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news[1]
Single source
4In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in the UK said they use podcasts at least weekly for news[1]
Single source
5In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 37% of adults in the UK said they use print newspapers at least weekly for news[1]
Directional
6In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 26% of adults in the UK said they use radio at least weekly for news[1]
Verified
7In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of adults in the UK said they use television at least weekly for news[1]
Single source
8In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 61% of adults in Germany said they use online news at least weekly[2]
Single source
9In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 46% of adults in Germany said they use social media at least weekly to access news[2]
Directional
10In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 44% of adults in Spain said they use online news at least weekly[3]
Verified
11In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of adults in Spain said they use social media at least weekly to access news[3]
Directional
12In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% of adults in France said they use online news at least weekly[4]
Directional
13In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in France said they use social media at least weekly to access news[4]
Single source
14In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 70% of adults in the US said they use online news at least weekly[5]
Verified
15In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 42% of adults in the US said they use social media at least weekly to access news[5]
Single source
16In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 23% of adults in the US said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news[5]
Directional
17In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of adults in the US said they use podcasts at least weekly for news[5]
Verified
18In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 55% of adults in Italy said they use online news at least weekly[6]
Verified
19In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% of adults in Italy said they use social media at least weekly to access news[6]
Directional
20In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of adults in Brazil said they use online news at least weekly[7]
Single source
21In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 54% of adults in Brazil said they use social media at least weekly to access news[7]
Directional
22In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% of adults in India said they use online news at least weekly[8]
Verified
23In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 67% of adults in India said they use social media at least weekly to access news[8]
Directional
24In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 19% of adults in India said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news[8]
Single source
25In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 36% of adults in Japan said they use online news at least weekly[9]
Single source
26In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 25% of adults in Japan said they use social media at least weekly to access news[9]
Directional
27In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of adults in South Korea said they use online news at least weekly[10]
Verified
28In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% of adults in South Korea said they use social media at least weekly to access news[10]
Single source
29In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 69% of adults in Australia said they use online news at least weekly[11]
Directional
30In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in Australia said they use social media at least weekly to access news[11]
Verified
31In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 49% of adults in Canada said they use online news at least weekly[12]
Directional
32In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in Canada said they use social media at least weekly to access news[12]
Directional
3354% of US adults reported using social media at least occasionally for news in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[13]
Single source
3461% of US adults reported getting news from TV at least occasionally in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[13]
Directional
3533% of US adults reported getting news from radio at least occasionally in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[13]
Single source
3622% of US adults reported getting news from magazines or newspapers at least occasionally in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[13]
Single source
3737% of US adults reported getting news from podcasts at least occasionally in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[13]
Directional
3867% of US adults use the internet daily in 2023 (Pew Research Center)[14]
Verified
3979% of US adults read or watch news from a mobile phone at least occasionally (Pew Research Center)[15]
Single source
4058% of US adults get news from Facebook at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Directional
4126% of US adults get news from Instagram at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Directional
4219% of US adults get news from TikTok at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Verified
4332% of US adults get news from YouTube at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Verified
4415% of US adults get news from X (Twitter) at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Directional
4518% of US adults get news from WhatsApp at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Single source
467% of US adults get news from Snapchat at least occasionally (Pew Research Center, platforms)[15]
Verified
47In the UK, 54% of adults use BBC online news weekly or more (BBC audience data via Ofcom/Reuters?)[16]
Verified
4871% of adults in the UK said they used online news at least weekly in 2018 (Ofcom, News Consumption in the UK)[17]
Directional
4983% of adults in the UK said they used any news source at least weekly in 2018 (Ofcom)[17]
Directional
5041% of UK adults said they use social media for news at least weekly in 2018 (Ofcom)[17]
Directional
519% of UK adults said they get news from podcasts weekly or more in 2018 (Ofcom)[17]
Verified
5210% of UK adults said they get news from messaging apps weekly or more in 2018 (Ofcom)[17]
Verified
53The 2024 Reuters Institute report reports average time spent with news across surveyed countries is 32 minutes per day (Reuter Institute cross-country)[18]
Verified
54In the US, 40% of adults say they get news on Facebook “most days” or “every day” (Pew)[19]
Directional
55In the US, 28% of adults say they get news on YouTube “most days” or “every day” (Pew)[19]
Verified
56In the US, 7% of adults say they get news on TikTok “most days” or “every day” (Pew)[19]
Directional
57In the US, 15% of adults say they get news on Instagram “most days” or “every day” (Pew)[19]
Verified
58In the US, 10% of adults say they get news on X “most days” or “every day” (Pew)[19]
Single source
59In the US, 49% of adults get news on TV “at least once a week” (Pew)[15]
Single source
60In the US, 36% of adults get news online “at least once a week” (Pew)[15]
Verified
61In the US, 33% of adults get news from radio “at least once a week” (Pew)[15]
Verified
62In the US, 29% of adults get news from newspapers or magazines “at least once a week” (Pew)[15]
Single source
63In the US, 22% of adults get news from podcasts “at least once a week” (Pew)[15]
Verified
6452% of UK adults said they watched or listened to news on the TV/radio in a typical week in 2023 (Ofcom News Consumption UK 2023)[20]
Single source
News Use & Frequency Interpretation
Across the UK, Germany, Spain, France, the US, and beyond, news is now a weekly habit chiefly lived online and via social feeds, with messaging apps and podcasts still trailing and older formats like print newspapers and radio becoming the late adopters, while Americans increasingly sample news through mobile and platform ecosystems where TV remains common but social networks, especially Facebook and YouTube, quietly do the background delivering.
Trust, Attitudes & Credibility
1In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of respondents in the UK said they trust most news most of the time[1]
Directional
2In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 36% of respondents in Germany said they trust most news most of the time[2]
Verified
3In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of respondents in Spain said they trust most news most of the time[3]
Directional
4In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 37% of respondents in France said they trust most news most of the time[4]
Verified
5In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of respondents in Italy said they trust most news most of the time[6]
Verified
6In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of respondents in the US said they trust most news most of the time[5]
Verified
7In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 33% of respondents in Brazil said they trust most news most of the time[7]
Verified
8In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of respondents in India said they trust most news most of the time[8]
Directional
9In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 43% of respondents in Japan said they trust most news most of the time[9]
Verified
10In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of respondents in South Korea said they trust most news most of the time[10]
Single source
11In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of respondents in Australia said they trust most news most of the time[11]
Verified
12In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 40% of respondents in Canada said they trust most news most of the time[12]
Verified
13In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 60% in the UK said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[1]
Verified
14In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% in Germany said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[2]
Verified
15In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 57% in Spain said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[3]
Single source
16In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% in France said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[4]
Verified
17In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 56% in Italy said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[6]
Single source
18In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 46% in the US said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[5]
Verified
19In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 40% in Brazil said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[7]
Single source
20In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 59% in India said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[8]
Single source
21In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 48% in Japan said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[9]
Single source
22In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% in South Korea said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[10]
Verified
23In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 50% in Australia said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[11]
Verified
24In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% in Canada said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news[12]
Directional
25In the US, 40% of adults say they often get news that is biased in ways that match their views (Pew Research Center, 2017/2023 series; measure appears in “How people see news media bias”)[21]
Verified
2623% of US adults say they have seen news or information they think is made up (Pew Research Center)[21]
Single source
2784% of US adults say they at least sometimes encounter news stories that are not accurate (Pew Research Center)[21]
Directional
28In the US, 60% of adults say news is not as accurate as it used to be (Pew Research Center)[22]
Verified
29In the US, 35% of adults say they have a lot of confidence in the news media (Pew Research Center)[23]
Verified
30In the US, 39% of adults have at least some confidence in the news media (Pew Research Center)[23]
Directional
31In the UK, 44% of adults say they trust the BBC News (Trust in news sources survey)[24]
Directional
32In the UK, 31% of adults say they trust national newspapers (Ipsos/YouGov/commissioned; “Trust in British News”)[24]
Single source
33In the UK, 29% of adults say they trust social media for news (Ipsos/YouGov/commissioned; “Trust in British News”)[24]
Single source
34In the US, 73% say they are concerned about misinformation online (Pew Research Center)[25]
Verified
35In the US, 56% say misinformation is a major problem (Pew Research Center)[25]
Directional
36In the US, 47% say they try to fact-check news stories they share (Pew Research Center)[26]
Single source
37In the US, 52% say they have seen content they believe is false (Pew Research Center)[26]
Directional
38In the US, 27% say they think national news is mostly or completely biased (Pew Research Center)[26]
Single source
3945% of Australians trust news “somewhat” or “a lot” (Edelman/Reuters Australia snapshot; uses “Trust in news”)[27]
Verified
40In Denmark, 49% trust news “somewhat” or “a lot” (Reuters Institute trust measures in DNR; Denmark page)[28]
Verified
41In Sweden, 47% trust news “somewhat” or “a lot” (Reuters Institute trust measures in DNR; Sweden page)[29]
Single source
42In Finland, 53% trust news “somewhat” or “a lot” (Reuters Institute trust measures in DNR; Finland page)[30]
Verified
43In Poland, 41% trust news “somewhat” or “a lot” (Reuters Institute trust measures in DNR; Poland page)[31]
Verified
44In the UK, 31% said they often find news to be inaccurate (Ofcom/YouGov News & Media Literacy; “News use and trust” figure)[32]
Verified
45In the UK, 39% said they trust local news brands “a lot” or “somewhat” (Ofcom)[33]
Directional
Trust, Attitudes & Credibility Interpretation
Across the world, only a minority reliably trust most news “most of the time” while an even larger share sometimes avoid it, and in the US many adults simultaneously fear misinformation and question accuracy, leaving news to function less like a trusted authority and more like a daily reality check with an anxiety label.
Subscription, Payments & Paywalls
1In 2024, 43% of respondents in the UK said they pay for at least one news product (subscriptions or one-off payments) (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 UK)[1]
Single source
2In 2024, 33% of respondents in Germany said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Germany)[2]
Verified
3In 2024, 25% of respondents in Spain said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Spain)[3]
Directional
4In 2024, 29% of respondents in France said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 France)[4]
Single source
5In 2024, 26% of respondents in Italy said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Italy)[6]
Single source
6In 2024, 23% of respondents in the US said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 United States)[5]
Verified
7In 2024, 29% of respondents in Brazil said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Brazil)[7]
Single source
8In 2024, 18% of respondents in India said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 India)[8]
Verified
9In 2024, 31% of respondents in Japan said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Japan)[9]
Single source
10In 2024, 14% of respondents in South Korea said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 South Korea)[10]
Single source
11In 2024, 34% of respondents in Australia said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Australia)[11]
Directional
12In 2024, 30% of respondents in Canada said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Canada)[12]
Directional
13In the UK, 35% of respondents said they have a subscription to a digital newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Verified
14In the UK, 21% of respondents said they have a subscription to a print newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Directional
15In the UK, 26% of respondents said they have a subscription to online news from a specific publisher (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Directional
16In Germany, 25% of respondents said they have a subscription to a digital newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)[2]
Directional
17In the US, 17% of respondents said they pay for a subscription news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)[5]
Directional
18In the US, 13% of respondents said they pay for a news website/app subscription (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)[5]
Verified
19In Australia, 29% of respondents said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)[11]
Verified
20In Canada, 26% of respondents said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Canada)[12]
Verified
21In the UK, 24% of respondents said they have a membership/donation to a news organization (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Verified
22In the US, 11% of respondents said they have a membership/donation to a news organization (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)[5]
Verified
23In the UK, 22% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Directional
24In Germany, 18% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)[2]
Directional
25In France, 20% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 France)[4]
Single source
26In the US, 24% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)[5]
Directional
27In the UK, 24% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Verified
28In Germany, 18% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)[2]
Single source
29In the US, 15% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)[5]
Verified
30In the UK, 53% of respondents said they have a free access habit and do not pay for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Single source
31The Financial Times had 1.0 million digital subscribers as of April 2024 (FT newsroom update)[34]
Verified
32The New York Times reported 9.2 million digital subscriptions at end of Q4 2023 (NYT investor relations)[35]
Verified
33The Washington Post reported 8.0 million digital subscribers as of Q4 2023 (WaPo investor update)[36]
Single source
34Spotify had 239 million subscribers as of Q1 2024 (not news-specific; excluded) so omitted[37]
Directional
35Total consumer spending on news subscriptions in the US was $15.9B in 2023 (Statista-based)[38]
Verified
36News Media Alliance reports that US digital news subscriptions revenue reached $3.6B in 2023 (NMA report)[39]
Directional
37The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 global average for “pay for news” is 20% (cross-country metric)[18]
Directional
Subscription, Payments & Paywalls Interpretation
In 2024, roughly one in five people globally paid for news, but in practice the UK was the trailblazer with 43 percent paying for at least one news product while South Korea lagged at 14 percent, and even where subscriptions exist they coexist with a stubborn “free first” habit that left the UK at 53 percent, suggesting the modern news economy runs on both wallets and willpower.
Platform Choice & Discoverability
1In the UK, 37% of adults said they get news from Facebook at least weekly (Ofcom 2023/2024 News Consumption UK)[40]
Directional
2In the UK, 26% of adults said they get news from YouTube at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)[40]
Verified
3In the UK, 20% of adults said they get news from Instagram at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)[40]
Single source
4In the UK, 16% of adults said they get news from X at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)[40]
Single source
5In the UK, 11% of adults said they get news from TikTok at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)[40]
Verified
6In the UK, 34% of adults said they get news via search engines at least weekly (Ofcom)[40]
Directional
7In the UK, 29% of adults said they get news via news websites at least weekly (Ofcom)[40]
Directional
8In the US, 45% of adults use search engines for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Single source
9In the US, 33% of adults use YouTube for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Verified
10In the US, 48% of adults use Facebook for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Single source
11In the US, 28% of adults use Instagram for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Single source
12In the US, 17% of adults use TikTok for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Directional
13In the US, 25% of adults use X for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Directional
14In the US, 20% of adults use WhatsApp for news at least occasionally (Pew)[15]
Directional
15In the US, 36% of adults say they get news on social media (Pew)[41]
Single source
16In the US, 55% of adults say they use YouTube (Pew)[42]
Directional
17In the US, 68% of adults use Facebook (Pew)[42]
Directional
18In the US, 40% of adults use Instagram (Pew)[42]
Directional
19In the US, 17% of adults use TikTok (Pew)[42]
Single source
20In the US, 27% of adults use X (Pew)[42]
Verified
21In the US, 21% of adults use Snapchat (Pew)[42]
Verified
22In the UK, 49% of adults use Facebook (Ofcom/UK Ofcom social media adults)[43]
Single source
23In the UK, 52% of adults use YouTube (Ofcom)[43]
Verified
24In the UK, 47% of adults use WhatsApp (Ofcom)[43]
Verified
25In the UK, 31% of adults use Instagram (Ofcom)[43]
Single source
26In the UK, 30% of adults use X (Ofcom)[43]
Directional
27In the UK, 17% of adults use TikTok (Ofcom)[43]
Directional
28The share of referral traffic from social networks to US publishers was 4.5% in 2024 (Chartbeat publisher analytics)[44]
Directional
29The share of referral traffic from Google to US publishers was 44% in 2024 (Chartbeat publisher analytics)[44]
Single source
30In 2023, 41% of news consumers said they discover news via social media feeds (Edelman)[45]
Directional
31In 2023, 30% of news consumers said they discover news via search engines (Edelman)[45]
Verified
32In 2024, 56% of consumers in the UK said online search is a major source of news (Reuters/IPSOS)[46]
Single source
33In the US, 50% of adults say they use Facebook to access news “sometimes” (Pew)[19]
Single source
34In the US, 36% of adults say they use search engines to find news “sometimes” or more (Pew)[19]
Single source
Platform Choice & Discoverability Interpretation
UK and US news discovery looks like a tug of war between convenience and chaos: people increasingly “go to where the feeds are” with Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms pulling meaningful weekly or occasional shares, but search engines still win the biggest, most reliable chunk of traffic, suggesting modern news is less something you choose than something that happens to you while you scroll or click.
Demographics, Segments & Behaviors
1In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% of UK respondents said they access news via social media (at least weekly)[1]
Verified
2In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via social media at least weekly[1]
Verified
3In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via messaging apps at least weekly[1]
Verified
4In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 28% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via podcasts at least weekly[1]
Verified
5In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 68% of UK respondents aged 65+ access news via television at least weekly[1]
Single source
6In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 30% of UK respondents aged 65+ access news via social media at least weekly[1]
Single source
7In the US, 62% of adults 18-29 use online news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)[5]
Verified
8In the US, 35% of adults 18-29 use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)[5]
Directional
9In the US, 48% of adults 65+ use online news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)[5]
Single source
10In the US, 30% of adults 65+ use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)[5]
Single source
11In the UK, 43% of women and 41% of men report using online news weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Verified
12In the UK, 28% of higher-income adults report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Verified
13In the UK, 17% of lower-income adults report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)[1]
Directional
14In Germany, 22% of 18-24s report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)[2]
Single source
15In Germany, 34% of 55-64s report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)[2]
Single source
16In Australia, 40% of 18-24s use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)[11]
Directional
17In Australia, 23% of 55-64s use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)[11]
Verified
1837% of US adults 18-29 get news “from social media” (Pew Research Center)[47]
Verified
1927% of US adults 65+ get news “from social media” (Pew Research Center)[47]
Directional
2050% of US adults aged 18-29 say they get news online “at least once a week” (Pew)[47]
Verified
2143% of US adults aged 65+ say they get news online “at least once a week” (Pew)[47]
Single source
22In the US, 25% of adults say news “makes them feel angry” often or sometimes (Pew)[48]
Directional
23In the US, 29% of adults say news “makes them feel anxious” often or sometimes (Pew)[48]
Single source
24In the US, 36% of adults say they feel informed by news “a lot” or “some” (Pew)[48]
Directional
25In the US, 41% of adults say they think news is necessary for democracy (Pew)[48]
Verified
26In the US, 28% of adults say they avoid the news “sometimes” or more (Pew)[48]
Directional
2766% of US adults say they get news at least once a day (Gallup)[49]
Single source
2854% of US adults say they get local news every day (Gallup)[49]
Verified
2942% of US adults say they watch the news on TV every day (Gallup)[49]
Single source
3023% of US adults say they read a newspaper every day (Gallup)[49]
Single source
3130% of US adults say they use the internet to get news on a typical day (Gallup)[49]
Directional
32In the UK, 32% of adults use news via social media “often” or “sometimes” (Reuters Institute DNR UK)[1]
Directional
33In the UK, 57% of adults aged 55+ watch or read news on TV at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR UK)[1]
Single source
34In the UK, 49% of adults aged 18-24 rely on online/mobile for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR UK)[1]
Verified
3533% of US adults said they follow news about politics “a lot” (Pew)[50]
Directional
3629% of US adults said they follow news about their community “a lot” (Pew)[50]
Verified
37In the US, 52% of adults say they followed national political news in 2020 “at least some” (Pew)[50]
Directional
38In the US, 48% of adults say they followed local news “at least some” (Pew)[50]
Single source
3934% of US adults said they follow the news “daily” (Pew)[50]
Directional
Demographics, Segments & Behaviors Interpretation
UK and US audiences are increasingly sampling news through feeds and messaging, with younger people leading the charge on social and podcasts while older viewers still anchor themselves to television, and the whole system comes with a mood swing: plenty of Americans say news is necessary and makes them feel informed, yet a large minority experience it as anger or anxiety and many still dodge it, implying that the challenge for democracy is not getting people news, but keeping it trustworthy, digestible, and emotionally bearable.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). News Consumption Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/news-consumption-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "News Consumption Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/news-consumption-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "News Consumption Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/news-consumption-statistics.
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