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The 2025 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford is an annual survey that tracks how news is consumed across countries and platforms. The report covers trends across more than 40 countries, offering one of the most comprehensive looks at global digital news habits.
Nic Newman is the lead author of the 2025 Digital News Report. Nic Newman is a Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute, and his work focuses on media innovation and the future of journalism. The Digital News Report is the most widely cited comparative study of news consumption worldwide, measuring data on everything from trust and avoidance to subscriptions and platforms.
The 2025 report shows that news avoidance remains at historically high levels. This means that a significant percentage of people across surveyed nations are actively trying to avoid the news at least some of the time. This trend is notable because news avoidance had already increased sharply during the pandemic and periods of political crisis, but it has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The underlying reason is that people find the news depressing or stressful, or they feel powerless to influence events.
The survey covered over 90,000 people across more than 40 countries. This sample size makes it one of the largest cross-national studies of news consumption patterns. Gathering this data requires coordination with polling partners in each country, using online questionnaires to ensure consistency in results. The methodology allows for year-over-year comparisons of changes in news consumption habits.
Trust in news remains low in many markets, with less than 40% of respondents on average across all countries saying they trust most news most of the time. This figure reflects a persistent skepticism about news media, which has been exacerbated by political polarization and the spread of misinformation. The mechanism driving this distrust is a combination of experiences with misinformation, perceptions of bias, and the politicization of traditional media outlets.
Social media is now the main source of news for younger audiences, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube overtaking Facebook for news among people under 25. This shift represents a generational change in how news is discovered and consumed. The underlying cause is that younger people spend more time on video-based and visually-oriented platforms, where news is delivered in shorter, more informal formats. As a result, these audiences are less likely to visit traditional news websites or apps directly.
Subscriptions to online news remain stable but have not increased significantly, with only around 17% of respondents in countries with higher payments for news saying they paid for online news in the past year. The main reason given for not paying is that people feel there is enough free news available online. Where people do pay, it is often for just one digital news subscription, rather than several, echoing a “winner takes most” dynamic in the industry.
The report notes that podcasts have become an important medium for news and current affairs, with around a third of all respondents saying they listened to a podcast in the past month. The most popular types are news and politics, lifestyle, and true crime. Podcasts are especially popular in Nordic countries and in the United States, where more than 40% of respondents report monthly podcast listening. The mechanism behind this is that podcasts offer a deeper, more personal style of journalism, and fit around busy lifestyles.
News organizations face challenges in attracting younger, more diverse audiences. One of the findings is that traditional news brands are viewed as less relevant by people under 35, who prefer more accessible and entertaining formats. This is pushing publishers to invest in short-form video, influencers, and explainer content, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
The report highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence in the production and distribution of news. A significant proportion of respondents are concerned about the use of AI in news, especially for content creation, with fears about accuracy and authenticity. The primary mechanism is that AI-generated content can be indistinguishable from human-created journalism, raising concerns about deepfakes and misinformation.
Video news consumption is up, especially among younger audiences. Short-form video is now a key way that people encounter news stories, with TikTok and YouTube Shorts driving this growth. This trend is linked to the way algorithms on these platforms surface content, making it easy for users to stumble upon news even if they are not actively looking for it.
Concerns about misinformation remain high. Nearly 60% of respondents across the 40-plus countries say they are worried about distinguishing real from fake news on the internet. Countries with recent elections or political instability, such as India and the United States, report even higher levels of concern. The mechanism here is the speed and reach of social media, where false information can spread rapidly before fact-checkers or authorities can respond.
There is a notable gender gap in news consumption in many countries, with men more likely than women to access, pay for, and engage with news. The report identifies that women often find news less relevant or too negative, and that traditional news media are perceived to underrepresent issues important to women. This leads to lower engagement and fewer subscriptions among female audiences compared to male counterparts.
The United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States are the largest English-language markets in the sample. In these countries, legacy brands like BBC News, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel remain among the most recognized and used, but even these brands face pressure from digital native outlets and social media creators. The rise of news creators on platforms like YouTube has introduced more personalized and opinion-driven content, sometimes blurring the line between reporting and commentary.
In Southern Europe and Latin America, WhatsApp is a major vector for sharing and discussing news. In countries like Brazil, more than half of respondents report using WhatsApp for news weekly, reflecting the region’s high use of messaging apps for all types of communication. This is driven by high rates of smartphone adoption and the convenience of sharing multimedia content in closed groups.
One in five respondents say they avoid news because they do not trust it or because it causes anxiety. The report finds that news fatigue is higher among those who feel bombarded by updates, particularly during prolonged crises such as the pandemic or ongoing conflicts. This leads to selective avoidance, where people tune out topics like politics, climate change, or war.
In markets like Finland and Norway, public broadcasters maintain some of the highest levels of trust. Over 60% of respondents in these countries view their public service media as trustworthy sources. This is attributed to strict editorial guidelines, independence from political influence, and a tradition of strong public media systems.
News newsletters have stabilized as a format for direct audience engagement, with around 18% of respondents saying they read a news newsletter weekly. The main reason people subscribe is to get news directly without social media algorithms filtering it. These newsletters are often curated by individual journalists or newsrooms and can include both summaries and analysis.
The report documents a rise in “news creators” — individual journalists or influencers who build direct relationships with audiences through social media, newsletters, and podcasts. Some of these creators have millions of followers, rivaling traditional news outlets in reach. The mechanism is the ability to build a personal brand and offer commentary or analysis that resonates with niche audiences.
In the United States, Fox News, CNN, and The New York Times remain among the most used news sources, but partisan polarization leads to sharply divided news diets. Audiences on the political right gravitate toward conservative outlets, while those on the left prefer liberal or progressive sources. This fragmentation is driven by both consumer choice and the recommendation algorithms of social media platforms, which reinforce existing preferences.
The 2025 Digital News Report reveals that TikTok is now used for news by 23% of people under 35 in surveyed markets, surpassing Twitter (now known as X) among younger audiences for the first time. This marks a significant shift in the digital news landscape, as TikTok’s algorithm surfaces news from both professional outlets and individual creators, making it a primary source for breaking news among Gen Z.