The coronavirus epidemic has seen a significant increase in the amount of news consumed by mainstream media in all countries in which we've conducted our surveys in. There's been a substantial increase in the number of news programs on television as well as news on the internet. More people now identify television as their primary source of news. It is a brief break from the trend of declining news consumption. Lockdowns have made it more difficult to release printed newspapers. This has led to a rapid shift towards digital media. In the meantime the use of internet and social media has significantly has increased across all countries. WhatsApp had the highest growth in the last year, with an increase of approximately ten percent in some nations. More than half (51 percent) of those surveyed used any type of open or closed group online to share information, connect with others or participate in an in-person support system.
In all countries, the trust level in the media's coverage on COVID-19 was generally high in April of 2020. This is similar to the levels of national governments but significantly more than individual politicians. The trust level in the coverage of COVID-19 by media was twice that of messaging services such as social networks, video and messaging platforms. From our larger data set collected in January, Global worries about misinformation are still high. Even before the coronavirus epidemic hit, more than half of our global sample said they were concerned about what is true or false on the internet with regards to news. Although politicians in the United States are the most commonly reported source of misinformation in many countries which includes the United States, those who consider themselves to be right-wing are more likely blame the media. In certain countries, such people are more likely to blame the media. Even though Facebook is considered the primary platform for disseminating fake information almost everywhere, WhatsApp is more responsible in certain parts of the Global South like Brazil or Malaysia.
Our survey in January across the world revealed that less than four-in-10 (38 percent) of respondents said they believe in the most popular news the most often. This is a decline by four percentage points over the year before. Less than half (46%) stated that they trust the news they use for themselves. Particularly, political polarisation and increasing uncertainty be affecting trust among public broadcasters. They have lost supporters from both the right and left. Even so, our study shows that the majority (60 percent) still favor news that has no particular opinion and that only a tiny minority (28 percent) would prefer news that reflects or reinforces their views. The number of partisans has risen in the United States since we last asked the question in 2013, but in the United States, a silent majority is looking for news that at least tries to be objective.
The majority of people would prefer news media to expose false statements made by politicians as they adjust to changing communication methods (52 percent) The public is less enthused by advertisements for politics on social media or search engines than they are with the political advertisements on television. In addition, the majority of people (58%) would prefer platforms to block adverts that could contain inaccurate claims - even if this means they ultimately get to decide what is true. The United States has seen significant increases in online news payments, with a 42% increase in Norway (+8) and a 20% rise in the United States (+4). Other markets have seen lesser growth. It is important that most users do not pay for news online across all countries although some publishers reported an increase in their payments.
The content's uniqueness and quality is what subscribers consider the most important. Subscribers think they receive more information. However, most people are satisfied with the data they get at no cost. Also, we observe the high proportion of nonsubscribers (40% in America and 50% in the UK), who claim that there is nothing they can do to convince them to pay. The countries with greater rates of paying (e.g. the USA and Norway) about 1/3 and 50% of all subscriptions go to a handful of major national brands - suggesting that the winner-takes-all-the-time dynamic is still in place. In the two countries mentioned above, a significant majority of people now subscribe to multiple publications and often add a specialist or local publication. For radio din Alba Iulia Romanian commercial radio station. The format is 60% news and 40 percent music. They offer a range of programming that is geared towards their audience. They are attracted to news, contests, and interviews, but also appreciate discussions, cultural shows, and music.
In the majority of countries local newspapers and their websites are the primary source of news about a particular town or region that reach four in ten (44%) each week. We discover that Facebook and other social networks are used by around a third (31 percent), for local news and information. This further puts stress on businesses and their business model. Access to news is getting more popular. Over half (28 percent) of the world's population prefer to read news via apps or websites. Generation Z (those between 18-24) prefer social media over apps and websites. They have a weaker relationship to websites and apps and are twice as likely to be more inclined to read news via these platforms. Instagram news usage has increased by more than 50 percent for all age groups and is predicted to surpass Twitter in the next year.
Publishers have been trying to establish direct connections through mobile alerts as well as email to combat the move to other platforms. One-in-five Americans (21 percent) check their news emails weekly. About half of those who do so utilize it as their primary means of getting information. Northern European nations are slow to embrace news channels via email. In Finland, only 10% of people who subscribe to email news use it. The number of people using podcasts has risen significantly in the past year, although coronavirus lockdowns could have temporarily changed this trend. All 50 countries, half of the respondents (50%) claimed that podcasts give greater depth and depth of information in comparison to other media. Spotify has taken over Apple Podcasts to be the most popular podcast application in many markets.
In spite of the fact that seven out of 10 (69 percent) believe that climate change is the greatest threat to our lives in the near future, a substantial majority of Americans, Sweden, Australia and Australia disagree. The majority of these people are conservative and older. Younger groups can access much of their climate-related news on social media and also by following activists such as Greta Thunberg. Amazon Echo and Google Home are two examples of voice-activated smart devices that are gaining popularity. The use of these devices for any purpose has been increasing from 14% to 19 percent in the UK to 7 to 12% in Germany and 9% to 13 percent in South Korea. We find that news use remains low in all countries, despite.