NEW YORK- A recent report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reveals that the number of people worldwide accessing news through websites or apps has decreased by 10 points since 2018.
Younger demographics, in particular, show a preference for obtaining news through social media, search engines, and mobile aggregators.
The report highlights that audiences are increasingly drawn to celebrities, influencers, and social media personalities over traditional journalists, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat gaining prominence.
TikTok, in particular, has experienced significant growth as a news source among 18 to 24-year-olds, with a 5% increase from the previous year.
Additionally, the report indicates a decline in overall interest in news, with less than half of the survey respondents expressing significant interest compared to 6 out of 10 respondents in 2017.
According to the report, Reuters Institute Director Rasmus Nielsen stated that there are no realistic expectations that individuals born in the 2000s will develop a preference for traditional websites, broadcast, or print media as they grow older.
The report, which is based on an online survey of approximately 94,000 adults in 46 markets, including the U.S., highlights that less than a third of the respondents consider having news stories selected for them based on their previous consumption as a favorable method of receiving news.
This marks a 6-point decline since the last time the question was asked in 2016. However, the survey indicates that people still slightly prefer news selected by algorithms rather than by editors or journalists.
According to the survey, trust in the news has declined by 2 percentage points in the past year, undoing the progress made in many countries during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, 40% of individuals express trust in most news most of the time. The United States has experienced a 6-point increase in trust, reaching 32%, but still remains one of the lowest-ranking countries in the survey.
The survey also reveals that 56% of respondents express concerns about distinguishing between real and fake news on the internet, indicating a 2-point increase from the previous year.
Furthermore, the report shows a decrease in overall interest in news, with only 48% of respondents stating that they are very or extremely interested in news, compared to 63% in 2017.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is funded by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Thomson Reuters.
-Reuters