Reuters Institute Digital Report

Overview

The Reuters Institute Digital Report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a representative survey of online news consumers in the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Japan and Denmark.

The report contains unique data and analysis about the move to mobile, paying for news, social media and more.

Key findings

Introduction

There are sharp differences between countries over the speed of online adoption
US is furthest ahead but Germany shows the strongest allegiance to traditional media
Online is the most frequently accessed form of news amongst the young – with TV remaining most popular for older groups
UK shows the most interest in celebrity news, least interest in political news
Read more on the key findings

Mobiles and tablets

More than one in four of our sample access news via mobile in all our surveyed countries. Tablet usage is also growing fast
Mobile and tablet users continue to use traditional news sources such as TV, radio and print
Mobile devices adding to news consumption by extending access through the day
Read more on mobile and tablet usage

Finding and sharing news

Social media beginning to challenge search engines as a way of finding news – particularly amongst younger groups
In the UK, one in five share a news story each week. Facebook, e-mail and Twitter are the most important networks for sharing news
Americans are twice as likely as most Europeans to share or comment on news online
Read more on gateways to news

Paying for news

Consumers remain reluctant to pay for online news. Propensity to pay is lowest in the UK (4%) and highest in Denmark (12%)
Smartphone and tablet users are more likely to have paid for digital news and are more likely to pay in the future
Read more on paying for news and the rise of the app economy