In every country in which we conducted surveys, we found that the coronavirus epidemic has significantly increased the amount of news read by major media. Television news and online sources have both witnessed significant increases. People now consider television their main source, which is temporarily a an exception to the pattern of declining news consumption. Lockdowns have made it hard to release printed newspapers. This has increased the transition to a digital future. The use of social media as well as online has increased significantly in many countries. WhatsApp had the highest expansion, with an increase of around 10 percentage points in some countries. Furthermore that more than half (51 percent) of those polled were part of an open or closed online group to communicate, share information and take part in local support communities.
As of April 2020, trust in the coverage of the media of COVID-19 was fairly high in all countries, at an equal level with the national government and much higher than for individuals politicians. The trust in media was higher than the level for social networks and video platforms as well as messaging services when it came to information about COVID-19. From our wider dataset taken in January, Global worries about misinformation are still high. The global concern about misinformation remains in the high tens of thousands even before the coronavirus outbreak. More than half our global sample stated that they are concerned about the information is being disseminated online regarding the news. Domestic politicians are the single most often cited source of misinformation, though in some countries , including the United States - people who identify as right-wing tend to blame the media - as part of a pick-your-side
Facebook is considered to be the primary platform for disseminating false information almost everywhere but WhatsApp is considered to be more accountable in certain regions of the Global South like Brazil as well as Malaysia.
Our poll in January across all countries showed that less than 4/10 (38%) of respondents said they are most likely to trust the news they read. This is a decline by four percentage points over the year before. More than half (46%) said they believe in the news sources they consume themselves. Political polarisation linked to rising uncertainty has undermined trust in public broadcasters particularly, who have lost the support of political partisans from both the right and the left. Our survey indicates that 60 percent of people prefer news that doesn't have any particular view, and only 28% prefer news which reinforces or supports their beliefs. While partisan preferences may have increased slightly in the United States since 2013, but this survey still shows that the majority of Americans would prefer information that is neutral.
The majority of people (52 percent) would prefer media regularly reported on false statements made by politicians, rather than not in any way highlighting them (29 percent). People are more hesitant to accept advertisements for politics on search engines and social media than they are with political adverts on TV, and the majority of people (58 percent) prefer to have platforms remove ads that may include inaccurate statements, even if this means they ultimately have to determine what is truthful. Online news has seen an increase in payments in a number of countries which include the United States at 20% (+4) and Norway with 42 percent (+8). There have been small increase in the other markets. Important to note is that nearly all countries aren't paying for online information however some publishers have complained of an "coronavirus bump".
For subscribers the most important factor is the quality and uniqueness of the content. Subscribers believe they receive better information. However, many people are content with the news that they can access free of charge. 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. If you pay more (e.g. the USA and Norway) approximately 1/3 and 50% of subscriptions are given to just a few big national brands, suggesting that winner-takes-most dynamics are persisting. However, in both countries there is a substantial number of people purchasing more than one subscription, often adding a local or specialist publication. For radio Unirea Romanian commercial radio station. It is a format that's 60% news from different fields and 40% music. The current program lineup concentrates on local news, special shows, and talk shows. These people are interested both in news, contests , and interviews. However, they also like discussions, entertainment, and musical shows.
Most countries continue to be the most reliable source of information about a specific area or city. In actual fact 4 out of 10 (44 percent) of all visits to the web are handled by local newspaper. We found however that Facebook and the other social media platforms are now utilized by 33% (31%) of people who use local news and information. This puts greater pressure on businesses and their business models. The news stream is becoming more widely distributed. Only 28 percent of all people prefer beginning their journeys to read news on websites or apps. Generation Z (those between 18-24) prefer social media to apps and websites. They have a weaker relationship to websites and apps and are two times more likely to prefer accessing news through these platforms. Instagram news use has increased by more than a quarter across all age groups. This trend is likely to continue over the next year.
To stop the trend of switching to various platforms, publishers have been trying to establish direct relationships with their customers via mobile and email alerts. In the United States one in five (21 percent) use a news email every week, and for nearly 50% of them, it's their primary way of getting news. Northern European nations have had longer to embrace news channels via email. Just 10% of people use Finnish email news. The proportion using podcasts has grown significantly in the past year, although coronavirus lockdowns may have temporarily reversed this trend. A majority of those polled across all countries (50 percent) believe that podcasts offer more understanding and depth than other media. Meanwhile, Spotify has become the number one destination for podcasts in a number of markets, overtaking Apple's podcast app.
Nearly seven out of ten (69 percent) think that climate change is as a major issue. However, in the United States and Australia, the majority of people disagree. This group tends to be conservative and older. Younger groups have access to a lot of climate change news through social media and by following activists, like Greta Thunberg. Amazon Echo and Google Home are two examples of voice-activated intelligent devices that continue to gain popularity. In the UK, usage for all purposes has grown from 14% to 19 percentage to 19 percent, Germany from 7%-12% and South Korea from 9%-13%. Yet, we see that usage for news remains low across all markets.