Here's A Summary Of Important Digital Media Research Findings For 2020.
In all the countries where we conducted surveys, coronavirus outbreaks significantly increased news consumption for mainstream media. There's been a substantial increase in the number of news programs on television as well as news on the internet. The majority of people have now identified television as their primary source of news. This is a temporary relief from the pattern of steadily declining news consumption. Lockdowns have made it more difficult to release printed newspapers. This has led to a rapid transition to digital media. In many countries, however, social and online media usage has dramatically increased. WhatsApp was the most popular, with the largest growth in general with increases of 10 percentage points in some countries. In other countries, more than half of the people surveyed (51%) utilized an online, whether closed or open community to share information, connect, or take part in a local support network.
The trust in media coverage about COVID-19 was extremely high across all countries as of April of 2020. It was similar to that of national governments, and significantly higher than the level of individuals politicians. The amount of trust that was placed on media coverage of COVID-19 was twice that of messaging services, social networks and video platforms. The global misinformation concern remains high , according to our January-collected data. Even before the coronavirus crisis began, more than half of our global survey respondents expressed concerns about the truth or not with regards to information. While domestic politicians are most often cited as the source of misinformation , those who identify themselves as right-wing, like in the United States, are more likely to blame the media. Facebook is seen almost everywhere as the main channel for spreading false information. WhatsApp is however more than just a social media platform in countries such as Brazil as well as Malaysia.
We discovered that less than four percent of people believe that news is more reliable than they do in our survey of January across the globe. This is an increase of four percentage points from the previous year. Only 46 percent of those polled said they trust news they've read. Political polarisation and the resulting uncertainties has eroded trust in public broadcasters especially, which are losing support from political partisans from both the right and the left. Our research suggests that 60 percent of people still prefer news without a particular view and just 28 percent prefer news to support or reinforce their views. The preference for partisans has slightly increased in the United States since we last asked this question in 2013 but in the United States, a silent majority seems to be looking for news that at least is objective.
News media are more likely to expose false statements made by politicians, as they adjust to changing communication methods (52%) The public is less comfortable with political ads on search engines or social media than with those on TV. In fact, most people (58%) would rather have platforms to block ads that might contain false claims. Online news has seen an increase in the amount of money paid across a variety of countries, including the United States at 20% (+4) and Norway with 42% (+8). There were small increase in other markets. It is crucial to be aware that citizens across all nations do not pay for online news. However, some publishers have reported a coronavirus bump'.
The decision to sign up for the newsletter is an indication of confidence. One of the most crucial factor is the quality and authenticity of the information. Subscribers believe they receive better information. A large majority of subscribers are satisfied with the information they get for free. However, we do observe a large amount of non-subscribers (40 percent in the USA and 50% in the UK) USA and 50 percent UK) who believe that paying would be impossible. The countries with more payment rates (e.g. The majority of subscriptions are paid to brands owned by national companies in countries like 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 have added more than one subscription to their current subscriptions. For radio Unirea FM A Romanian commercial radio station. They offer an agenda that is focused on 60 percent news from all regions and 40% music. The main elements that are appealing to viewers are news programs from the county and specialized programs, in addition to talk shows. They are attracted by news, contests , and interviews, but they are also drawn to shows that focus on culture as well as debates, entertainment and music.
In most countries, local newspapers and their websites are the primary source of news about a particular town or region, reaching four in 10 (44 percent) every week. We discover that Facebook as well as other social networks are utilized by about a third of the population (31 percent), for local information and news. This further puts stress on businesses and their business models. Access to news continues its expansion. The majority of all people prefer to start their news journeys on the internet or through an app. Generation Z, 18-24 year young, has a lower connection to websites and apps. They're twice more likely than others to choose social media for news. Instagram has seen an increase in news-sharing across all different age groups. It is expected that Instagram will outdo Twitter within the next 12 months.
To stop the rise of multiple platforms publishers are looking to establish direct connections to customers through mobile alerts or email. In the United States one in five (21 percent) use a news email weekly, and for almost half of those, it's their main method of accessing news. Northern European nations were slow to adopt news email channels. Finland has only 10 percent of people who are using news emails. Although podcasts have seen a significant increase in popularity in the last year, coronavirus locks might have temporarily reversed the trend. All 50 countries, half the people who took part (50%) stated that podcasts offer greater depth and understanding of information over other forms of media. Spotify is currently the most popular podcast platform in several markets, surpassing Apple's podcast application.
Seven out of ten (69%) believe that climate change is as a major issue. But, in the United States and Australia, the majority of people disagree. The majority of this group is conservative and older. These groups are more youthful and have access to a lot of information on climate change via social media and following activists such as Greta Thunberg. Smart speakers that can be controlled by voice such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home are growing quickly. Use for any purpose has increased from 14 percent to 19% in the UK, between 7% and 12 percent in Germany as well as 9% to 13% in South Korea. In spite of all this, we still find that news is used in very small quantities across all markets.