77 percent of adults in the UK use online news at least weekly. Social media serves as a weekly news source for 68 percent of them. Similar patterns of access, trust levels, and payment habits appear across other countries.
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
In 2024, weekly online news use led worldwide, while social media and messaging apps also became major access routes.
Related reading
01 · Category
News Use & Frequency30 stats
01
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 77% of adults in the UK said they use online news at least weekly
02
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
03
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
04
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in the UK said they use podcasts at least weekly for news
05
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 37% of adults in the UK said they use print newspapers at least weekly for news
06
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 26% of adults in the UK said they use radio at least weekly for news
07
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of adults in the UK said they use television at least weekly for news
08
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 61% of adults in Germany said they use online news at least weekly
09
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 46% of adults in Germany said they use social media at least weekly to access news
10
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 44% of adults in Spain said they use online news at least weekly
11
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of adults in Spain said they use social media at least weekly to access news
12
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% of adults in France said they use online news at least weekly
13
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in France said they use social media at least weekly to access news
14
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 70% of adults in the US said they use online news at least weekly
15
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 42% of adults in the US said they use social media at least weekly to access news
16
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 23% of adults in the US said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news
17
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of adults in the US said they use podcasts at least weekly for news
18
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 55% of adults in Italy said they use online news at least weekly
19
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% of adults in Italy said they use social media at least weekly to access news
20
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of adults in Brazil said they use online news at least weekly
21
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 54% of adults in Brazil said they use social media at least weekly to access news
22
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% of adults in India said they use online news at least weekly
23
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 67% of adults in India said they use social media at least weekly to access news
24
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 19% of adults in India said they use messaging apps at least weekly to access news
25
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 36% of adults in Japan said they use online news at least weekly
26
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 25% of adults in Japan said they use social media at least weekly to access news
27
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of adults in South Korea said they use online news at least weekly
28
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% of adults in South Korea said they use social media at least weekly to access news
29
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 69% of adults in Australia said they use online news at least weekly
30
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of adults in Australia said they use social media at least weekly to access news
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Trust, Attitudes & Credibility30 stats
01
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of respondents in the UK said they trust most news most of the time
02
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 36% of respondents in Germany said they trust most news most of the time
03
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of respondents in Spain said they trust most news most of the time
04
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 37% of respondents in France said they trust most news most of the time
05
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of respondents in Italy said they trust most news most of the time
06
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of respondents in the US said they trust most news most of the time
07
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 33% of respondents in Brazil said they trust most news most of the time
08
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 39% of respondents in India said they trust most news most of the time
09
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 43% of respondents in Japan said they trust most news most of the time
10
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 34% of respondents in South Korea said they trust most news most of the time
11
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 41% of respondents in Australia said they trust most news most of the time
12
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 40% of respondents in Canada said they trust most news most of the time
13
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 60% in the UK said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
14
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% in Germany said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
15
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 57% in Spain said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
16
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% in France said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
17
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 56% in Italy said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
18
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 46% in the US said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
19
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 40% in Brazil said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
20
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 59% in India said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
21
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 48% in Japan said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
22
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 47% in South Korea said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
23
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 50% in Australia said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
24
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 51% in Canada said they sometimes avoid or reduce time with news
25
In 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”)
26
23% of US adults say they have seen news or information they think is made up (Pew Research Center)
27
84% of US adults say they at least sometimes encounter news stories that are not accurate (Pew Research Center)
28
In the US, 60% of adults say news is not as accurate as it used to be (Pew Research Center)
29
In the US, 35% of adults say they have a lot of confidence in the news media (Pew Research Center)
30
In the US, 39% of adults have at least some confidence in the news media (Pew Research Center)
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Subscription, Payments & Paywalls30 stats
01
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)
02
In 2024, 33% of respondents in Germany said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Germany)
03
In 2024, 25% of respondents in Spain said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Spain)
04
In 2024, 29% of respondents in France said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 France)
05
In 2024, 26% of respondents in Italy said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Italy)
06
In 2024, 23% of respondents in the US said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 United States)
07
In 2024, 29% of respondents in Brazil said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Brazil)
08
In 2024, 18% of respondents in India said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 India)
09
In 2024, 31% of respondents in Japan said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Japan)
10
In 2024, 14% of respondents in South Korea said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 South Korea)
11
In 2024, 34% of respondents in Australia said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Australia)
12
In 2024, 30% of respondents in Canada said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 Canada)
13
In the UK, 35% of respondents said they have a subscription to a digital newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
14
In the UK, 21% of respondents said they have a subscription to a print newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
15
In the UK, 26% of respondents said they have a subscription to online news from a specific publisher (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
16
In Germany, 25% of respondents said they have a subscription to a digital newspaper or magazine (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)
17
In the US, 17% of respondents said they pay for a subscription news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)
18
In the US, 13% of respondents said they pay for a news website/app subscription (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)
19
In Australia, 29% of respondents said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)
20
In Canada, 26% of respondents said they pay for at least one news product (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Canada)
21
In the UK, 24% of respondents said they have a membership/donation to a news organization (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
22
In the US, 11% of respondents said they have a membership/donation to a news organization (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)
23
In the UK, 22% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
24
In Germany, 18% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)
25
In France, 20% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 France)
26
In the US, 24% of respondents said they are willing to pay for news in the next 12 months (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)
27
In the UK, 24% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
28
In Germany, 18% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)
29
In the US, 15% of respondents said they have encountered a paywall for news and paid (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 United States)
30
In the UK, 53% of respondents said they have a free access habit and do not pay for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Platform Choice & Discoverability30 stats
01
In the UK, 37% of adults said they get news from Facebook at least weekly (Ofcom 2023/2024 News Consumption UK)
02
In the UK, 26% of adults said they get news from YouTube at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
03
In the UK, 20% of adults said they get news from Instagram at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
04
In the UK, 16% of adults said they get news from X at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
05
In the UK, 11% of adults said they get news from TikTok at least weekly (Ofcom News Consumption UK)
06
In the UK, 34% of adults said they get news via search engines at least weekly (Ofcom)
07
In the UK, 29% of adults said they get news via news websites at least weekly (Ofcom)
08
In the US, 45% of adults use search engines for news at least occasionally (Pew)
09
In the US, 33% of adults use YouTube for news at least occasionally (Pew)
10
In the US, 48% of adults use Facebook for news at least occasionally (Pew)
11
In the US, 28% of adults use Instagram for news at least occasionally (Pew)
12
In the US, 17% of adults use TikTok for news at least occasionally (Pew)
13
In the US, 25% of adults use X for news at least occasionally (Pew)
14
In the US, 20% of adults use WhatsApp for news at least occasionally (Pew)
15
In the US, 36% of adults say they get news on social media (Pew)
16
In the US, 55% of adults say they use YouTube (Pew)
17
In the US, 68% of adults use Facebook (Pew)
18
In the US, 40% of adults use Instagram (Pew)
19
In the US, 17% of adults use TikTok (Pew)
20
In the US, 27% of adults use X (Pew)
21
In the US, 21% of adults use Snapchat (Pew)
22
In the UK, 49% of adults use Facebook (Ofcom/UK Ofcom social media adults)
23
In the UK, 52% of adults use YouTube (Ofcom)
24
In the UK, 47% of adults use WhatsApp (Ofcom)
25
In the UK, 31% of adults use Instagram (Ofcom)
26
In the UK, 30% of adults use X (Ofcom)
27
In the UK, 17% of adults use TikTok (Ofcom)
28
The share of referral traffic from social networks to US publishers was 4.5% in 2024 (Chartbeat publisher analytics)
29
The share of referral traffic from Google to US publishers was 44% in 2024 (Chartbeat publisher analytics)
30
In 2023, 41% of news consumers said they discover news via social media feeds (Edelman)
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Demographics, Segments & Behaviors30 stats
01
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 52% of UK respondents said they access news via social media (at least weekly)
02
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 45% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via social media at least weekly
03
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 35% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via messaging apps at least weekly
04
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 28% of UK respondents aged 18-24 access news via podcasts at least weekly
05
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 68% of UK respondents aged 65+ access news via television at least weekly
06
In the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, 30% of UK respondents aged 65+ access news via social media at least weekly
07
In the US, 62% of adults 18-29 use online news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)
08
In the US, 35% of adults 18-29 use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)
09
In the US, 48% of adults 65+ use online news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)
10
In the US, 30% of adults 65+ use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 US)
11
In the UK, 43% of women and 41% of men report using online news weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
12
In the UK, 28% of higher-income adults report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
13
In the UK, 17% of lower-income adults report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 UK)
14
In Germany, 22% of 18-24s report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)
15
In Germany, 34% of 55-64s report paying for news (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Germany)
16
In Australia, 40% of 18-24s use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)
17
In Australia, 23% of 55-64s use social media for news at least weekly (Reuters Institute DNR 2024 Australia)
18
37% of US adults 18-29 get news “from social media” (Pew Research Center)
19
27% of US adults 65+ get news “from social media” (Pew Research Center)
20
50% of US adults aged 18-29 say they get news online “at least once a week” (Pew)
21
43% of US adults aged 65+ say they get news online “at least once a week” (Pew)
22
In the US, 25% of adults say news “makes them feel angry” often or sometimes (Pew)
23
In the US, 29% of adults say news “makes them feel anxious” often or sometimes (Pew)
24
In the US, 36% of adults say they feel informed by news “a lot” or “some” (Pew)
25
In the US, 41% of adults say they think news is necessary for democracy (Pew)
26
In the US, 28% of adults say they avoid the news “sometimes” or more (Pew)
27
66% of US adults say they get news at least once a day (Gallup)
28
54% of US adults say they get local news every day (Gallup)
29
42% of US adults say they watch the news on TV every day (Gallup)
30
23% of US adults say they read a newspaper every day (Gallup)
Interpretation
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.
Reference
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.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)