Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023

"Dependence on social media may be growing, but it is not necessarily the same old networks."

The Digital News Report, commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, seeks to understand how news is being consumed across the globe. Now in its twelfth edition, the report is based on data from six continents and 46 markets and offers individual country analyses of data on news consumption, as well more in-depth comparative analyses on emerging issues, which in the 2023 report focus on low audience engagement, low trust, and selective news avoidance in an age of abundant digital and social media.

As explained in the executive summary, the 2023 report "comes against the backdrop of a global cost-of-living crisis, a continuing war in the heart of Europe, and further climate instability across the world. In this context, a strong supply of accurate, well-funded, independent journalism remains critical, but in many of the countries covered in our survey, we find these conditions challenged by low levels of trust, declining engagement, and an uncertain business environment."

Based on a YouGov survey of over 93,000 online news consumers in 46 markets, the report offers statistics and analysis on a country-by-country basis. The data offers an overview of consumption in each market, including details of the most popular news tradition and online brands, statistics about the different sources of news over time, the role of different social networks, the levels of payment for online news, and the levels of people listening to podcasts.

The 2023 report also includes extra analysis chapters that explore a number of emerging issues, including: audience attitudes towards algorithms and their impact on news; increasing levels of criticism of the news media, often driven by politicians and facilitated by social media; news participation and online engagement with news; and the challenges facing public service media. A special analysis chapter is also dedicated to identifying the most popular news podcasts in around a dozen countries, along with the platforms that are most used to access this content.

The following are some of the findings highlighted in the summary of the report:

• The data show how the various shocks of the last few years, including the Ukraine war and the Coronavirus pandemic, have accelerated structural shifts towards more digital-, mobile-, and platform-dominated media environments, with further implications for the business models and formats of journalism.
• Across markets, only around one-fifth of respondents (22%) say they prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app - down 10 percentage points since 2018. Publishers in a few smaller Northern European markets have managed to buck this trend, but younger groups everywhere are showing a weaker connection with news brands' own websites and apps than previous cohorts - preferring to access news via side-door routes such as social media, search, or mobile aggregators.
• Facebook remains one of the most-used social networks overall, but its influence on journalism is declining as it shifts its focus away from news. It also faces new challenges from established networks such as YouTube and youth-focused networks such as TikTok. The Chinese-owned social network reaches 44% of 18-24s across markets and 20% for news. It is growing fastest in parts of Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.
• When it comes to news, audiences say they pay more attention to celebrities, influencers, and social media personalities than journalists in networks like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat; in contrast, news media and journalists are still central to the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
• Much of the public is sceptical of the algorithms used to select what they see via search engines, social media, and other platforms.
• Despite hopes that the internet could widen democratic debate, the study finds fewer people are now participating in online news than in the recent past.
• Trust in the news has fallen, across markets, by a further 2 percentage points in the last year, reversing in many countries the gains made at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.
• Public media brands are amongst those with the highest levels of trust in many Northern European countries, but reach has been declining with younger audiences. The research shows that those that use these services most frequently are more likely to see them as important personally and for society. These findings suggest that maintaining the breadth of public service reach remains critical for future legitimacy and especially with younger groups.
• Consumption of traditional media, such as TV and print, continues to fall in most markets, with online and social consumption not making up the gap. The data show that online consumers are accessing news less frequently than in the past and are also becoming less interested. Despite the political and economic threats facing many people, fewer than half (48%) of the aggregate sample now say they are very or extremely interested in news, down from 63% in 2017.
• Meanwhile, the proportion of news consumers who say they avoid news, often or sometimes, remains close to all-time highs at 36% across markets. News avoiders are more likely to say they are interested in positive or solutions-based journalism and less interested in the big stories of the day.
• With household budgets under pressure and a significant part of the public satisfied with the news they can access for free, there are signs that the growth in online news payment may be levelling off.
• As in previous years, the study finds that a large proportion of digital subscriptions go to just a few upmarket national brands - reinforcing the winner-takes-most dynamics that are often associated with digital media. But in a number of countries, including the United States, researchers are now seeing the majority of those paying taking out more than one subscription. This tendency reflects the increased supply of discounted offers as well as the introduction of all-access bundles in some markets.
• Across countries, the majority of online users say they still prefer to read the news rather than watch or listen to it. Text provides more speed and control in accessing information, but in a few countries, such as the Philippines and Thailand, respondents now say they prefer video to text. Video news consumption has been growing steadily across markets, with most video content now accessed via third-party platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
• News podcasting continues to resonate with educated and younger audiences but remains a minority activity overall.