Understanding Young News Audiences at a Time of Rapid Change

Abstract

This study collates findings about young news audiences from years of Reuters Institute Digital News Report research. It finds that audiences aged 18-24 are increasingly different in their news attitudes and behaviours when compared to older generations. They are drawn to audiovisual social media platforms for their news consumption and are more likely than older people to embrace new formats and sources of news, from podcasts, to news creators, and now AI. They engage with traditional forms of news less. Our findings suggest news organisations might benefit from broadening the scope of what they cover and how they cover it in order to appeal to a generation that is social-first, interested in alternative storytelling formats, and who define news differently.