The coronavirus outbreak has dramatically increased the news consumption of mainstream media across all countries we conducted surveys prior to and after the pandemic. There has been a significant increase in television news and online news. The majority of people have now identified television as their main source of news. This is a temporary relief from the pattern of decreasing news consumption. As lockdowns make it harder to distribute newspapers in physical format, the number of readers has slowed. This is almost certain that the move to digital publishing will increase. In the meantime, the use of online and social media significantly increased across the globe. WhatsApp was the most popular overall, with increases of around 10% in some countries. Nearly half of the people who were surveyed (51 percent) utilized an open or close online group to connect and share data or become part in local support groups.
The trust in media's coverage of COVID-19 as it pertains to particular political figures was very high across all countries at the same level as the national governments. Concerning COVID-19 data, trust among media was two times as high on social platforms, messaging services, and video platforms as the media. Global concerns over misinformation are still significant, according to our January-based dataset. Concerns about misinformation in the world remain in the high tens of thousands even before the coronavirus epidemic. More than half our worldwide sample said they are worried about the information is being disseminated online about the news. While the domestic political system is the most commonly mentioned source of misinformation in many countries which includes the United States, those who consider themselves to be right-wing are more likely to blame the media. In some nations, they tend to blame the media. Even though Facebook is seen as the main source of fake news nearly everywhere, WhatsApp is more responsible in parts the Global South such as Brazil or Malaysia.
Our January poll across all nations found that less than 4 of 10 (38 percent) thought that the majority of news sources were reliable. This is a drop by four percentage points from the year 2019. A mere half (46 percent) said they are confident in the news they use for themselves. Public broadcasters are seeing their support eroded by political partisans from both the right- and left-leaning side because of the increasing uncertainty and political polarisation. Our research found that 60 percent of respondents are interested in news without a specific opinion, while only 28% are interested in sharing news or strengthening their opinions. The United States has seen a slight increase in partisan preferences since 2013. However most people seem to prefer news that at the very least tries to be impartial.
A majority (52%) would prefer the media to expose false statements from politicians (29 percent) as they adapt to the changing ways of communicating. People are less comfortable with ads for political causes on social media or search engines than they are with political ads on television, and majority of them (58 percent) would prefer platforms to block adverts that could contain false claims, even if this means they ultimately have to decide what is true. The United States has seen significant rises in the online news payment, with the increase being 42% in Norway (+8) and a 20% rise in the United States (+4). Other markets have seen less increases. It's crucial to remember that most people still don't pay for news online in all countries, even though some publishers reported an increase in payments.
Subscribers value the uniqueness and quality of the content. Subscribers think they're getting better information. However, most are satisfied with the data they get for free. We also notice a very high number of non-subscribers (40 percent in the US and 50% in the UK), who claim that nothing can persuade their to pay. In countries with higher levels of pay (e.g. the USA and Norway) about a third and half of subscriptions are given to just a few big national brands, indicating that the winning-takes-all dynamic continues. A large portion of these countries is now adding their subscriptions, usually through the purchase of a specialist or local paper. For radio Unirea FM 107,2 MHz Romanian commercial radio station. The format is 60% news and 40 percent music. They offer a range of programmes that cater to their audience. They are not interested only in contests, news, or interviews, but are also drawn to cultural programs and debates, entertainment and music.
The primary source for news and information on a country is the local newspaper and its websites. The number is four out of ten (44%). Our study shows that Facebook along with other social media platforms, are now used on an average of about 25% (31%) in order to deliver local news and information. This puts additional stress on companies and their business model. The distribution of news is increasing. In all countries only a quarter (28 percent) prefer beginning their news experiences via a website or app. The 18-24 age group (so-called Generation Z) have an even lower connection to websites and apps and are nearly twice as likely to read news on social media. Across age groups, users of Instagram for news has risen by more than a quarter in the last year and is expected to take over Twitter over the next year.
Publishers have been trying to make direct connections via mobile alerts as well as email to combat the move to different platforms. The United States has 21 percent of Americans accessing a news-related email each week. This is almost 50% of the nation's primary means of accessing news. Northern European nations have had longer to embrace news channels via email. Only 10% of Finnish users use Finnish email news. The percentage of people who use podcasts has increased significantly over the last year, though coronavirus lockdowns could have temporarily stopped this trend. Half of respondents across countries (50 percent) consider that podcasts can provide greater depth and comprehension over other media. In addition, Spotify has become the top source for podcasts in a number of markets, overtaking Apple's podcast app.
Overall, almost seven in 10 (69 percent) believe that climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed, however in the United States, Sweden, and Australia the majority of people disagree with this. These people of older age tend to be right-leaning. The younger groups can access the majority of news about climate change through social media and by following activists, like Greta Thunberg. The use of voice-activated speakers like the Amazon Echo or Google Home is growing. The UK has witnessed an increase in the use of smart speakers for all purposes with 14% up to 19 percent, 7% to 12percent in Germany and 9% to 12% in South Korea. In spite of all this, we still find that news is used in very small quantities across all markets.