Consuming News
It’s often been said, with some truth to it, that young people don’t really follow the news. But a new Media Insight Project survey suggests that may be a misconception.
The survey finds that news consumption among Americans aged 16-40 is actually pretty high, with 79 percent saying they get news daily…and half of those say they are active news seekers. Now, how they define “news” may be different than you and me; does the latest celebrity sighting count? I don’t have information on that.
But perhaps in a sign of our gloomy times, only a third of young people say they find the news enjoyable or entertaining—that number was more than half in 2015, only seven years ago. Back then, 53 percent of millennials said they liked to talk with friends and family about the news—now, that number is only 37 percent.
The young folks overwhelming get their news from social media—91 percent say they get news from “the socials” at least once a week. But three-quarters of them get news and information at least weekly from traditional outlets such as national or local TV and newspapers…but that includes their websites.
Facebook, however, is yesterday’s news according to the survey. 57 percent of those in the survey seven years ago found Facebook to be a necessary news source; that number has dropped to 40 percent of those between ages 16 and 40…and the number craters to only 32 percent for the 16 to 24 year olds.
So maybe there is hope, after all.
