According to a report by the Reuters Institute, there has been quite a significant decline in the overall appetite for news in recent years.
A report by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute revealed that 48% of people across the globe are very interested in the news, a massive fall from 63% in 2017.
In the UK, the proportion was even lower than the global average of 43%, with more than a third of people (36%) worldwide saying they go out of their way to avoid the news.
The report also suggested that this was due to various reasons, such as people avoiding depressing and dark stories like the war in Ukraine.
Overall interest in the news – dropped by around a quarter in the last six years
The report revealed many interesting findings, such as the fact that there was concrete evidence which suggested that audiences “continue to selectively avoid important stories such as the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis as they cut back on depressing news and look to protect their mental health”.
The Digital News Report 2023 also concluded that traditional TV and print news media continue to decline, while “online consumers are accessing news less frequently than in the past and are also becoming less interested”.
In the UK, the BBC was the most trusted news brand, followed by Channel 4 and ITV.
The report also found that overall interest in the news had dropped by approximately a quarter in the last six years and that more than half (56%) of those surveyed now worried about accurately identifying what news is real and which is fake, especially news that appears online.
Oxford University’s Reuters Institute – conducted a study on people’s interest in the news in recent years
When discussing the study, Reuters Institute director Rasmus Neilsen said, “Younger generations increasingly eschew direct discovery for all but the most appealing brands.
“They have little interest in many conventional news offers oriented towards older generations’ habits, interests, and values, and instead embrace the more personality-based, participatory, and personalised options offered by social media, often looking beyond legacy platforms to new entrants.”
The report highlighted that, in their opinion, younger audiences are taking part in what they describe as “news avoidance”.
TikTok – used by many 18-24-year-olds for news
While trust and interest in traditional news have declined in recent years, the popularity of social media platforms has seen more and more people turn towards them as their primary source of news.
TikTok was the survey’s fastest-growing social network and is used by a fifth of 18-24-year-olds for news, up from 15% last year.
The report also found that TikTok users are much more likely to get news on TikTok from celebrities, influencers or ordinary creators rather than mainstream journalists or news outlets.
Such is the importance of sites like Tell Me The Good News. In a world filled with dark and upsetting news stories in prominence, we strive to bring positive and uplifting news stories from around the world to our readers.