The coronavirus outbreak has led to an increase in the consumption of news in mainstream media across all the countries we have conducted studies in. Both online and television news sources have seen significant growth. Television has emerged as the main source of news for many, offering temporary relief from the current decline. The consumption of printed newspapers has decreased as lockdowns impede physical distribution, possibly leading towards an all-digital future. In many countries, however, social and online media use has increased significantly. WhatsApp had the highest expansion, with an increase of around 10 percent in some countries. Furthermore that more than half (51 percent) of those surveyed used some form of an open or closed online group to communicate, share information and take part in a local support community.
In April 2020, trust in the media's coverage of COVID-19 was quite high across all countries, at an equal level with the national government, and considerably more than specific politicians. The amount of trust that was placed on the media's coverage of COVID-19 was twice that of messaging services as well as social media and video platforms. Global concerns over misinformation are still significant, according to our January-based dataset. Our sample from around the world has already expressed concern about fake or authentic information being available online. Even prior to the outbreak of coronavirus. While domestic politicians are most often cited as the source of misinformation , those who are right-wing, such as in the United States, are more likely not to blame the media. Facebook is seen almost everywhere as the primary source to spread false information. WhatsApp is however more than just a social media platform in countries such as Brazil as well as Malaysia.
Our January poll across all countries found that less than 4 out 10 (38%) believed most news was credible. This is a drop of four percentage points compared to the previous year. 46 percent said they believe in the news they read. In particular, political polarisation and rising uncertainty seem to have undermined trust among public broadcasters. They have lost supporters from both the right-wing as well as the left. Even so, our study indicates that the majority (60%) are still averse to information that is not influenced by a specific viewpoint and that only a tiny minority (28 percent) would prefer news that reflects or reinforces their views. The number of partisans has risen in the United States since we last asked the question in 2013, but in the United States, a silent majority appears to be searching for news that at the very least tries to be objective.
The majority of people would prefer news media to expose false statements made by politicians, as they adjust to the new ways of communicating (52 percent) The public is less comfortable with political advertisements via search engines or social media than with those on TV. Actually, the majority of people (58%) would rather have platforms to block ads that might contain false claims. In a variety of countries, we've observed substantial increases in the payment for news online. These include the United States (20%) and Norway (42% (+8). Also, we observed smaller increases in other markets. It is crucial to remember that news on the internet is available for free to most people from all nations. Certain publishers might have been notified of a 'coronavirus' increase.
Subscribing to the newsletter is an indicator of trust. The most important aspect is the quality and authenticity of the information. Subscribers believe that they get better information. However, a lot of people are content with the news that they have access to at no cost. We also observe a high percentage of non-subscribers (45% in the USA and 50% here in the UK) who claim they were not convinced to pay. More payment levels are observed in countries like Norway and the United States in which there is an increase in the number of subscribers. A third to half of subscriptions are paid to brands owned by national companies in countries like Norway, the USA as well as Norway. This indicates that there are still winners and winners and losers. In both countries, a substantial percentage of subscribers are adding more than one subscription to their existing ones. For radio Unirea FM 107,2 MHz A Romanian commercial radio station. They offer a format that focuses on 60% news from all areas and 40 percent music. With their current programming, the main elements that draw the attention of people who are over 30 are: news programmes from the county, specialized talks and shows. These people are interested both in news, contests and interviews. But they also love cultural shows such as debates, entertainment, and musical shows.
Local newspapers and their websites are still the most reliable source of information about a specific town or region in most countries. They are accessed by the majority of people (44 percent) weekly. Our research has shown that Facebook, and other social media platforms, are used, on an average of around one quarter (31 percent) for local news and other information. This creates more pressure on companies and their business models. The spread of news is growing. Just over 25% prefer beginning their news experience through an app or a website across all countries. Generation Z (those between 18-24) prefer social media over websites and apps. They are a weaker relationship to websites and apps, and are twice as likely to be more inclined to read news via these platforms. The use of news on Instagram has nearly twice as high for all age groups since 2018, and it is likely to outdo Twitter in the coming year.
To counter the trend to multi-platform publishing, publishers are seeking for direct connections with consumers via email or mobile alerts. The United States sees nearly one fifth of Americans reading news emails weekly (21%) and nearly 50% of people use it as their main source of news. Northern European countries are slower in embracing news channels for email. Finland only has 10 percent. However, podcasts have seen an increase in popularity over the past year coronavirus locks might have temporarily reversed this trend. Across countries, half of all respondents (50 percent) say that podcasts provide more depth and understanding than other forms of media. Meanwhile, Spotify has become the number one destination for podcasts across many markets, overtaking Apple's podcast app.
A majority of people (69%) believe that climate change is a major issue. But, a tiny minority in Australia, Sweden and the United States disagree with this belief. They tend to be right-leaning and older. The younger groups can access a lot of information on climate change via social media and following activists such as Greta Thunberg. Amazon Echo and Google Home, both voice-activated smart speaker devices, continue to expand rapidly. In the UK their use for all purposes has increased from 14%-19 percentage to 19%, Germany from 7%-12% and South Korea from 9%-13%. Yet, we see that news consumption remains low in all markets.