Here Is A Summary Of The Most Significant Digital Media Findings For 2020
In every country where we did surveys, the coronavirus crisis dramatically increased news consumption in major media. Television news as well as online sources have experienced substantial increases. Television is now the main source of information for many people, providing temporary relief from the current decline. The declining print media is likely to accelerate the shift to all-digital news. In many countries, however, social and online media usage has dramatically increased. WhatsApp saw the most growth with an increase of about 10 percentage points in some countries. Additionally over half (51 percent) of the people surveyed were part of an online, either closed or open group to exchange information, or participate in a local support group.
Trust in media coverage of COVID-19 was extremely high across all countries in April 2020. It was similar to the trust of national governments but much higher than that of individual politicians. The trust level in media coverage of COVID-19 was doubled for messaging services, social networks and video platforms. Global misinformation concerns remain very high in our January-collected data. Our sample from around the world has already expressed concern about fake or authentic information being available online. It was prior to the coronavirus outbreak. The most prominent politicians in the United States are frequently cited as the source of misinformation - though people who consider themselves right-wingers, such as those in the United States, are more likely to blame the media. Facebook is seen almost everywhere as the main channel for spreading inaccurate information. WhatsApp is however more accountable in places like Brazil as well as Malaysia.
We discovered that less than four-in-ten people trust news more often than they did in our survey of January across the globe. This is an increase of 4 percentage points over the year before. 46 percent said that they are confident in the information they read. In particular, political polarisation and increasing uncertainty be affecting trust among public broadcasters. They are losing support from both the right wing and left. Our research shows that 60 percent still prefer news without any particular opinion, while just 28 percent would prefer news to reinforce or share their beliefs. While the number of partisans has slightly grown in America since 2013 but the majority are still in favor of news that is objective or neutral.
A majority (52%) prefer that media regularly reported on false statements made by politicians, instead of not highlighting them (29 percent). People are more hesitant to view political ads on social media and search engines than they are with TV advertisements. The majority of people (58 percent) prefer having platforms that do not block false claims even though they have the power to decide on the ultimate decision. In a range of countries, we've observed significant growth in the payments for online news. These include the United States (20%) and Norway (42 percent (+8). We also noticed smaller increases in other markets. It is crucial to remember that online news is available for free to most people from all nations. Some publishers might have been notified of a 'coronavirus' increase.
The subscribers appreciate the exclusivity and high quality of the content. Subscribers feel they get superior information. The majority of subscribers are happy with the content they receive for no cost. But, we do see a significant number of non-subscribers (40% USA and 50% UK) who feel that paying would be impossible. Countries with higher payment rates (e.g. 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. However, in both countries a significant minority are now purchasing multiple subscriptions, usually including a local or specialist publication. For radio Unirea FM a Romanian commercial radio station, they use an approach to programming that is focused on 60 percent news from various fields , and 40% music. With their current programming, the main elements that attract the audience of the audience who are over 30 are: news programmes from the county, specialized shows and talk shows. People who are over 30 are interested in news, contests and interviews. But they also love cultural shows such as debates music, entertainment, and debate shows.
The majority of countries remain the most trusted source for news on a particular area or city. In reality, four out ten (44 percent) of all weekly visits are provided by local newspapers. Our research has shown that Facebook, and other social media platforms, are currently used at an average of about 25% (31%) for local information and news. This puts additional pressure on businesses and their business model. The distribution of news is growing. About 25% of people prefer to begin their news journeys via an app or website across all countries. Generation Z, a group of young adults aged 18-24, prefers read news on social media over apps and websites. Across age groups, usage of Instagram for news has doubled in the last year and is expected to overtake Twitter in the coming year.
Publishers have been trying to make direct connections via mobile alerts as well as email in order to stop the trend of moving to other platforms. One in five Americans (21%) check their news emails each week. About half of those who do this utilize it as their primary way to access information. Northern European nations were slower to adopt news email channels. Finland has only 10 percent of people who are using news via email. Although podcasts have seen a significant increase in popularity in the last year, coronavirus locks might have temporarily reversed the trend. The majority of people polled across the globe believe that podcasts are more informative and accessible than other forms of media. Spotify has overtaken Apple Podcasts to be the number one podcast app in many markets.
The majority (69%) of respondents consider climate change to be a serious problem. But there are significant differences in opinion in Australia, Sweden, the United States, and Australia. These older people tend to be conservative. The younger groups can get a lot of their climate-related news on social media, and by following activists such as Greta Thunberg. Smart speakers that can be controlled by voice like the Amazon Echo and Google Home continue to expand 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. However however, we find that news is utilized in very low numbers in all markets.