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
1In 2023, 54% of U.S. adults under 30 got news primarily from social media platforms
Verified2Women in the U.S. are 10% more likely than men to consume news via online video, with 42% vs 32% in 2022
Verified3Among U.S. adults aged 65+, 68% prefer TV as their main news source compared to 28% for digital in 2023
Verified4Black Americans get news from local TV at 59% rate vs 41% for White Americans in 2022
Directional5College graduates in U.S. are 22% more likely to use news apps daily than non-grads at 35% vs 28% in 2023
Single source6Rural U.S. residents rely on cable TV news at 52% compared to 37% urban in 2023
Verified7Hispanic Americans under 50 consume news podcasts at 24% rate vs 12% overall in 2022
Verified8U.S. adults 18-29 with children get news from TikTok at 41% vs 29% without in 2023
Verified9High-income U.S. households ($100k+) use print newspapers at 18% vs 9% low-income in 2022
Directional10LGBTQ+ Americans in U.S. turn to social media for news 15% more than straight adults at 62% in 2023
Single source11Veterans in U.S. prefer national news outlets at 71% vs 55% civilians in 2022
Verified12U.S. adults with disabilities use voice assistants for news at 19% vs 11% able-bodied in 2023
Verified13In the UK, 18-24 year-olds get 48% of news from YouTube in 2023
Verified14UK women over 55 cite radio as news source at 39% vs 28% men in 2023
Directional15Australian Gen Z (16-24) uses Instagram for news at 52% in 2023
Single source16German adults 50+ prefer TV news at 72% vs 41% under 30 in 2023
Verified17French millennials get news from Snapchat at 31% rate in 2023
Verified18Indian urban women 25-34 use WhatsApp for news at 67% in 2023
Verified19Brazilian low-income groups rely on Facebook news at 58% vs 42% high-income in 2022
Directional20Japanese seniors 65+ read print news daily at 81% in 2023
Single source21South African youth 18-24 prefer TikTok news at 45% in 2023
Verified22Canadian immigrants get news from ethnic media at 34% vs 19% non-immigrants in 2022
Verified23In U.S., Republicans 50+ trust Fox News at 76% vs 22% Democrats same age in 2023
Verified24Independents aged 30-49 in U.S. use news newsletters at 26% in 2023
Directional25U.S. parents of teens get news from their kids' social feeds indirectly at 37% in 2022
Single source26Urban professionals in U.S. 25-44 subscribe to news apps at 29% vs 14% overall in 2023
Verified27In Europe, rural adults use local radio news 18% more than urban at 44% in 2023
Verified28U.S. Gen X (44-59) multitasks news with work at 51% daily in 2022
Verified29Female gamers in U.S. get gaming news via Twitch at 38% vs 22% non-gamers in 2023
DirectionalDemographics 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
171% of smartphone owners in U.S. aged 18-29 use phones for news weekly in 2023
Verified245% of U.S. tablet users access news apps daily vs 32% smartphone-only users in 2022
Verified3Desktop/laptop remains primary for 28% of U.S. news consumers over 50 in 2023
Verified462% of smart TV owners in U.S. stream news videos weekly in 2023
Directional5Voice-activated devices used for news by 22% U.S. adults, rising 8% YoY in 2023
Single source651% of U.S. wearable device owners check news notifications hourly in 2022
Verified7E-readers used for news by 14% U.S. adults, mostly long-form articles in 2023
Verified8In UK, 67% use smartphones for news, up from 63% in 2022 per Reuters
Verified939% of Australians access news via laptops/desktops daily in 2023
Directional10German news consumers use tablets at 26% rate for in-depth reading in 2023
Single source11French smart speaker news usage hit 18% in 2023
Verified12Indian mobile-only news access at 89% due to smartphone penetration in 2023
Verified13Brazilian TV streaming apps on smart TVs used by 55% for news in 2023
Verified14Japanese console gamers get news via Nintendo Switch at 12% in 2023
Directional15South African feature phone users still get SMS news alerts at 31% in 2023
Single source16Canadian console users access news on Xbox/PS at 21% weekly in 2022
Verified17U.S. AR/VR headset owners experiment with news immersion at 7% in 2023
Verified18UK e-ink device news reading up 5% to 16% among avid readers in 2023
VerifiedDevice 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
148% of U.S. adults check news multiple times daily on mobile in 2023
Verified2Average U.S. adult spends 1.2 hours daily on news across all platforms in 2022
Verified336% of U.S. 18-29 year-olds consume news hourly via apps in 2023
Verified4Weekend news consumption spikes 25% higher than weekdays for U.S. adults in 2023
Directional529% of U.S. adults listen to news podcasts weekly, averaging 4 hours/month in 2022
Single source6Morning news routine for 57% U.S. adults, checking first thing upon waking in 2023
Verified7Evening news TV viewing averages 45 minutes for U.S. over-50s daily in 2023
Verified8U.S. social media news scrolling sessions average 15 minutes per visit in 2022
Verified9In UK, daily news users at 71%, with 23% checking 5+ times/day in 2023
Directional10Australians spend 47 minutes daily on news apps in 2023
Single source11Germans average 1.5 hours weekly on long-form news online in 2023
Verified12French users check news 4.2 times daily on average in 2023
Verified13Indians dedicate 1.8 hours daily to news video content in 2023
Verified14Brazilians multitask news with commuting at 62% daily in 2023
Directional15Japanese salarymen read news 20 minutes during lunch daily at 68% in 2023
Single source16South Africans access news 3 times daily amid loadshedding disruptions in 2023
Verified17Canadians spend 52 minutes daily on news podcasts/radio in 2022
Verified18U.S. night owls consume news between 10pm-2am at 19% rate in 2023
Verified19UK bedtime news reading on apps averages 12 minutes for 34% in 2023
DirectionalFrequency & 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
141% of U.S. adults name cable TV networks as main source in 2023
Verified2Social media overtaken TV as U.S. main news source for under-30s at 48% in 2023
Verified3Local TV stations preferred by 52% U.S. for community news in 2022
Verified4National newspapers like NYT/WSJ used by 24% U.S. weekly in 2023
Directional5Podcasts chosen over radio by 31% U.S. young adults for audio news in 2023
Single source6Online-only sites like HuffPost/Axios at 19% U.S. usage in 2023
Verified7In UK, BBC is top source at 58% across platforms in 2023
Verified8YouTube overtakes Facebook as news source for 38% Australians in 2023
Verified9ARD/ZDF public TV top in Germany at 65% trust/preference in 2023
Directional10Facebook still dominant news source in France at 42% in 2023
Single source11WhatsApp groups primary for 55% Indian news sharing in 2023
Verified12Globo TV leads Brazil news at 49% viewership in 2023
Verified13NHK public broadcaster preferred by 72% Japanese in 2023
Verified14News24 online top in South Africa at 44% in 2023
Directional15CBC remains trusted source for 61% Canadians in 2022
Single source16Fox News top for U.S. Republicans at 59% in 2023
Verified17Guardian/Mirror preferred by UK left-leaning at 37% in 2023
Verified18CNN/MSNBC lead U.S. Democrats at 48% combined in 2023
VerifiedSource 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
144% of U.S. adults trust news media overall in 2023, down 4% YoY
Verified2Only 14% U.S. adults trust social media much for news accuracy in 2023
Verified358% Americans trust local news outlets highly in 2022
Verified4National news trust at 40% for U.S. Democrats vs 11% Republicans in 2023
Directional527% trust TV news a great deal in U.S., steady since 2021 per Gallup 2023
Single source6UK public broadcasters trusted by 62% vs 32% social media in 2023
Verified7Australian trust in news fell to 40% overall in 2023
Verified8Germany highest trust in news at 54% among 46 countries in 2023
Verified9France news trust at 29%, lowest in Western Europe 2023
Directional10India polarized trust: 51% overall but varies by politics in 2023
Single source11Brazil trust in news media at 41%, up slightly in 2023
Verified12Japan trust levels stable at 48% for mainstream media in 2023
Verified13South Africa trust dropped to 35% amid misinformation in 2023
Verified14Canada news trust at 45%, higher for public media in 2022
Directional15U.S. podcast news trust at 33%, rising among young in 2023
Single source16UK tabloid trust low at 21% vs broadsheets 49% in 2023
VerifiedTrust 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