Here Is A Summary Of The Most Important Digital Media Findings For 2020
The coronavirus crises has significantly increased news consumption of mainstream media in all the countries where we carried out surveys prior to and after the outbreak. The percentage of people who depend on television news as their main source of news has increased dramatically as more people identify the channel as their primary source of news. This temporary respite is welcomed after a prolonged time of declining. The decline of printed newspapers is expected to increase the pace of transitioning to all-digital media. But, many nations have seen an impressive increase in the use of social media and the internet. WhatsApp saw the most growth, with an increase of approximately ten percent in some nations. Over half (51 percent) of those surveyed used some type of open or closed online group to share information, connect with others or participate in a local support system.
In April of 2020, the level of trust was fairly good across all nations in relation to media coverage of COVID-19. It was similar to national governments and substantially more than individuals in politics. For more information about COVID-19 trust in media was higher than trust in video platforms, social media and messaging services. Global misinformation concerns remain very high in our January-collected data. Even before the coronavirus crisis began, more than half of our global sample expressed concern about what's true or false on the internet in relation to information. While domestic politicians are the biggest source of misinformation most often but in some countries (including the United States), people who consider themselves right-wing blame the media more. Facebook is the main platform for disseminating false information almost everywhere. However, WhatsApp is seen as being more responsible in the areas of the Global South such Brazil and Malaysia.
A poll conducted in January in all countries found that four of ten respondents (38%) trusted most news most of the time. This is four percentage points less than in 2019. Just 46 percent of respondents were able to trust the information they've used. Public broadcasters are witnessing their popularity eroded by political partisans from both the right- and left-leaning political sides, due to the growing uncertainty and political polarisation. Our survey finds that 60% of Americans prefer news that isn't influenced by any particular view, and only 28% prefer news which reinforces or supports their opinions. The United States has seen a slight rise in the number of partisans in the last year. However it is still the case that the majority of people appear to favor news that at least attempts to be objective.
In the midst of adjusting the media to new styles of political communications, the majority people (52 percent) would prefer that they frequently report on false statements made by politicians instead of not highlighting their false statements (29%). The public is less enthused by political adverts via social media or search engines as they are with political adverts on TV, and most people (58 percent) prefer that platforms remove ads that may contain inaccurate claims - even if it means that they ultimately get to decide on what's true. The United States has seen significant increase in payments for online news as evidenced by a 42% increase in Norway (+8) and an increase of 20% in the United States (+4). Other markets have seen smaller increases. It is worth noting that most countries aren't paying for online news however some publishers have been able to report a "coronavirus bump".
The decision to sign up for the newsletter is a sign of confidence. The most important aspect is the authenticity and quality of the information. Subscribers are convinced that they receive superior information. However, many people are satisfied with the information that they get free of charge. We also observe the high proportion of non-subscribers (45 percent in the USA and 50% here in the UK) who claim that they are not able to convince to pay. If you pay more (e.g. The USA and Norway have a comparable ratio of between one quarter and half of all subscriptions going to just a few major national brands. This suggests that winner-takesall dynamics persist in these two countries. But in both these countries there is a substantial number of people buying more than one subscription, often including a local or specialist publication. For radio Unirea Romanian commercial radio station. It has a format that's 60 percent news from various fields and 40 percent music. The current program lineup concentrates on news from the county and special shows as well as talk shows. People who are interested in news, contests , and interviews, but they are also attracted by cultural programs, debates, entertainment, music.
The top news source for information about a nation is the local newspaper as well as its websites. This number is four-in-ten (44 percent). Our research has shown that Facebook, and other social media platforms, are currently used at an average of about 25% (31 percent), to provide local news and other information. This adds additional stress on companies and their business model. The dissemination of news is expanding. Nearly half (28 percent) of all countries prefer to access news via an app or site. Generation Z, 18-24 year olds, have a less favorable connection to websites and apps. They're twice more likely than other people to use social media as a source of news. Over all age groups, the usage of Instagram for news has increased by a third since the beginning of 2018 and is likely to surpass Twitter within the next year.
To counter the move to different platforms, publishers are seeking to make direct connections with consumers via mobile and email alerts. A staggering 21 percent of Americans use news-related email every week. For nearly half of them, it is the primary way to access information. Northern European countries tend to be slower in embracing news channels for email. Finland only has 10%. Even though the popularity of podcasts has increased dramatically in the past year, the coronavirus lockdowns might have temporarily reversed this trend. Over 50 percent of the respondents in all countries believe podcasts are more educational and accessible than other media. Spotify is the top podcasting platform in a wide range of markets and has now overtaken Apple's podcast app.
The majority of people (69%) believe that climate change is a serious problem. But, a tiny percentage of people in Australia, Sweden and the United States disagree with this belief. These people tend to be conservative and older. These groups are more youthful and get most of their climate-related news via social media and also by following activists like Greta Thunberg. The demand for voice-activated smart speakers like the Amazon Echo or Google Home continues to grow. In the UK their use for any purpose has grown from 14% to 19 percentage to 19%, Germany from 7%-12% and South Korea from 9%-13%. However, we observe that news consumption remains low across all markets.