The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 surveyed news usage behaviour in 46 countries worldwide. The findings for Germany were provided by the HBI. Co-author Julia Behre explains the findings in this BredowCast.
Germans still prefer to get their news from linear television. Although its creeping death has been predicted for some time, current figures show that its popularity is actually growing in all age groups. For 44 per cent of those interviewed, television is the most important source of news, 70 per cent use TV news at least once a week.
In comparison, news in newspapers and magazines (26%) as well as on the radio (40%) have a lower reach in all age groups in 2021. This is probably related to the pandemic-related changes in the working day and the fact that commuting to work is no longer necessary, which often involves listening to the radio in the car or buying a newspaper for commuting purposes.
News on Social Media
In addition, news usage on social media is declining. Although younger people in particular are frequently exposed to news on social media (52%), news on social media in 2021 is showing declining reach in all age groups compared to previous years. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the share has fallen by four percentage points. The biggest drop, -11 percentage points, is among 25- to 34-year-olds to now 42 per cent.
Trust in Media Is High
Trust in the news media has increased over the past year. Overall, 53 per cent of adults online in Germany say they trust the news in general - eight percentage points more than in the previous year 2020.
Podcasts Are Stagnating
In contrast to the rapid increase in podcast usage figures, this year saw a stagnation. Similar to the previous year, on average one in four listened to a podcast per week.
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Julia Behre
Johanna Sebauer
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