Our survey of online users suggests that most of us are accessing the news more frequently than ever before. In the five countries we have been tracking since 2012 (UK, US, France, Germany, and Denmark), the number accessing news several times a day has risen from an average of 53% to 62%, with the biggest uplift between 2012 and 2013.
Across all our countries, 72% of men access several times a day, compared with just 59% of women. The Japanese access news most frequently, with 8 in 10 (81%) accessing news several times a day compared with only just over half of our American sample (54%).
% accessing news several times a day by country
Q1b. Typically, how often do you access news. Responses shown for ‘several times a day’ Base: All markets 2014 – UK=2082, Germany=2063, Spain=2017, Italy=2010, France=1946, Denmark=2036, Finland=1520, USA=2197, Urban Brazil=1015, Japan=1973
These changes seem to be related to the growth of new devices – such as mobiles and tablets – which are extending the range of access points. The more devices we have, it seems, the more frequently we consume.
% accessing news several times a day by device
Q1b. Typically, how often do you access news (in any way)? Base: All markets 2014: 18837, 2013: 11004
Scroll data area to see more
| Device | Several times a day |
|---|---|
| One digital device | 62% |
| Two digital devices | 74% |
| Three digital devices | 81% |
| Four or more devices | 87% |
Interest in news
Frequency of access doesn’t necessarily map to interest. The Japanese are most assiduous in checking the news but their declared interest is on a par with the US, UK, and France. The Germans and Spanish are amongst the most interested but check in less frequently than the Finns and the Danes.
Interest in news by country
Q1c. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in news? Chart shows net: extremely/very interested and net somewhat/not very interested Base: All markets 2014 – UK=2082, Germany=2063, Spain=2017, Italy=2010, France=1946, Denmark=2036, Finland=1520, USA=2197, Urban Brazil=1015, Japan=1973
Universally men say they are more interested in news than women and interest rises with age
Interest in news increases with age (ALL countries)
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| Male | Female | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interested in news | 77% | 65% | 61% | 65% | 69% | 72% | 77% |
Q1c: How interested, if at all, would you say you are in news?
Base: All markets 2014: 18837
Main platform for news
Across our countries, television news remains the main way of getting the news, a combination of access to network TV bulletins and 24-hour TV news channels. Online – which includes access by computer, mobile, and tablet via website app or digipaper – is the second most important way of accessing news.
Main platform for accessing news by country
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| UK | Germany | Spain | Italy | France | Denmark | Finland | USA | Urban Brazil | Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV | 50% | 56% | 47% | 55% | 61% | 54% | 36% | 50% | 56% | 54% |
| Radio | 8% | 13% | 4% | 6% | 11% | 9% | 5% | 4% | 1% | 2% |
| 11% | 11% | 11% | 12% | 6% | 8% | 20% | 6% | 4% | 21% | |
| Online (Inc. Soc media | 30% | 19% | 35% | 26% | 21% | 28% | 37% | 35% | 37% | 22% |
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news?
Base: All who have used sources in the past week (16112)
Overall, we see a low level of importance placed on online news in Germany and France while online sources are strongly valued in the US, Spain, and Brazil as well as Finland. Only in Finland is online considered to have equal importance to television news and interestingly print is also highly valued here. Radio news is most important in France and Germany.
But overall we find that country differences are less significant than generational ones when it comes to platform preference. In every country (apart from Japan) young people prefer online news, while older groups feel more comfortable with the traditional platforms they have grown up with.
Platform preference: young prefer online
MAIN news platform by age
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who have used sources in the past week (16007)
Looking at Finland and Japan, the two countries where there is strongest allegiance to print, we can see these habits concentrated in older groups with under 45s overwhelmingly using online as their main way of accessing news.
MAIN news platform; online and print by age – Finland
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who have used sources in the past week (16112)
MAIN news platform; online and print by age – Japan
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who have used sources in the past week (16112)