Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021

"Our findings this year show how, if anything, the Coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated many of the long-term trends we have documented over the past decade, especially the move to a more digital, mobile, and platform-dominated media environment." - Prof. Rasmus Nielsen, Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University publishes the Digital News Report annually to understand how news is being consumed in a range of countries across the globe. The 2021 report focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on news consumption and on the economic prospects for publishers. It looks at progress on new paid online business models, the role of local news, trust and misinformation, the role and influence of different social media platforms (including more visual social networks like TikTok and Instagram), and the degree to which the media are seen as treating different groups fairly, including women, young people, and ethnic minorities.

The research was conducted by YouGov (and their partners) using an online questionnaire at the end of January/beginning of February 2021. The survey covers 46 markets, including 24 in Europe and six in Latin America, with the addition of Colombia and Peru in the 2021 research. In Asia, the research covers 11 markets, with the recent addition of India, Indonesia, and Thailand. In Africa, the research covers South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria (the latter for the first time in this edition).

For each country, the report offers country-related statistics and analysis with the help of graphs and infographics. Information covers: a breakdown of news sources according to the top traditional and online media brands, what devices people are using to access the news, the level of trust per news brand, and a breakdown of the most popular social media channels used to obtain news.

The following is a summary of some of the most important findings from the 2021 research as highlighted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism:

• Trust in the news has grown, on average, by six percentage points in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic - with 44% of the total sample saying they trust most news most of the time. This reverses, to some extent, recent falls in average trust, bringing levels back to those of 2018. Finland remains the country with the highest level of overall trust (65%), and the United States (US) now has the lowest level (29%) in the survey.
• At the same time, trust in news from search and social media has remained broadly stable. This means that the trust gap between the news in general and that found in aggregated environments has grown - with audiences seemingly placing a greater premium on accurate and reliable news sources.
• In a number of countries, especially those with strong and independent public service media, the research shows greater consumption of trusted news brands. The pattern is less clear outside Western Europe, in countries where the Coronavirus crisis has dominated the media agenda less, or where other political and social issues have played a bigger role.
• Television news has continued to perform strongly in some countries, but print newspapers have seen a further sharp decline almost everywhere as lockdowns impacted physical distribution, accelerating the shift towards a mostly digital future.
• While many media consumers remain very engaged, others seem to be turning away from the news media and in some cases avoiding news altogether. Interest in news has fallen sharply in the US following the election of President Biden, especially among right-leaning groups.
• Findings show that the media are seen to be representing young people (especially young women), political partisans, and - at least in the US - people from minority ethnic groups less fairly. These findings will give added urgency to those who are arguing for more diverse and inclusive newsrooms.
• Despite more options to read and watch partisan news, the majority of respondents (74%) say they still prefer news that reflects a range of views and lets them decide what to think. Most also think news outlets should try to be neutral on every issue (66%), though some younger groups think that "impartiality" may not be appropriate or desirable in some cases - for example, on social justice issues.
• The use of social media for news remains strong, especially with younger people and those with lower levels of education. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have become especially popular in the Global South, creating most concern when it comes to spreading misinformation about Coronavirus.
• Global concerns about false and misleading information edged slightly higher in 2021, ranging from 82% in Brazil to just 37% in Germany. Those who use social media are more likely to say they have been exposed to misinformation about Coronavirus than non-users. Facebook is seen as the main channel for spreading false information almost everywhere, but messaging apps like WhatsApp are seen as a bigger problem in parts of the Global South, such as Brazil and Indonesia.
• The data suggest that mainstream news brands and journalists attract most attention around news on both Facebook and Twitter but are eclipsed by influencers and alternative sources in networks like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. TikTok now reaches a quarter (24%) of under-35s, with 7% using the platform for news - and a higher penetration in parts of Latin America and Asia.
• The results show significant increases in payment for online news in a small number of economically richer Western countries, but the overall percentage of people paying for online news remains low. Across 20 countries where publishers have been pushing for more online payment, 17% have paid for any online news in the last year - up two percentage points. Norway continues to lead the way with 45% (+3), followed by Sweden (30%), the US (21%), Finland (20%), the Netherlands (17%), and Switzerland (17%). There has been less progress in France (11%), Germany (9%), and the United Kingdom (8%).
• In most countries, a large proportion of digital subscriptions go to just a few big national brands, reinforcing the winner-takes-most dynamics that have been reported in the past. But in the US and Norway, findings show that up to half of those paying are now taking out additional subscriptions, often to local or regional newspaper brands.
• The research shows that the value of traditional local and regional news media is increasingly confined to a small number of subjects such as local politics and crime. Other internet sites and search engines are considered best for a range of other local information including weather, housing, jobs, and "things to do" that used to be part of what local news media bundled together.
• Access to news continues to become more distributed. Across all markets, just a quarter (25%) prefer to start their news journeys with a website or app. Those aged 18-24 (so-called Generation Z) have an even weaker connection with websites and apps and are almost twice as likely to prefer to access news via social media, aggregators, or mobile alerts.
• While mobile aggregators play a relatively small part in the media ecosystem of Western countries, they have a powerful position in many Asian markets. In India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand, a range of human- and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered apps like Daily Hunt, Smart News, Naver, and Line Today are playing an important new role in news discovery.
• The use of smartphones for news (73%) has grown at its fastest rate for many years, with dependence also growing through Coronavirus lockdowns. Use of laptop and desktop computers and tablets for news is stable or falling, while the penetration of smart speakers remains limited in most countries, especially for news.
• Growth in podcasts has slowed, in part due to the impact of restrictions on movement. This is despite some high-profile news launches and more investment via tech platforms. The data show Spotify continuing to gain ground over Apple and Google podcasts in a number of countries and YouTube also benefiting from the popularity of video-based and hybrid podcasts.

Click here for the report in Spanish.
Click here to download the 164-page report in PDF format in English.
Click here for a recording of the launch of the 2021 Digital Report, where the research team discuss the findings of the report.