Reuters Institute Digital Report

Overview

This year's report reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 75,000 online news consumers in 37 countries including the US and UK.

The report focuses on the issues of trust and misinformation, new online business models, the impact of changing Facebook algorithms and the rise of new platforms and messaging apps.

Key findings

Video in 3 minutes

Social media and messaging

The use of social media for news has started to fall in a number of key markets – after years of continuous growth. Facebook is down 9 percentage points in the US while use of alternative platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat are increasing

Paying for news

Nordic countries have seen significant increases in the numbers paying for online with Norway reaching 30%(+4), Sweden 26% (+6) and Finland 18% (+4). Last year’s significant increase in digital subscriptions in the United States (the so-called Trump Bump) has been maintained, while donations and donation-based memberships are growing in popularity.

Misinformation unpacked

Over half of those polled (54%) say they are very or extremely concerned about what is real and ‘fake’ on the internet. This is highest in countries like Brazil (85%), Spain (69%), and the United States (64%) where polarised political situations combine with high social media use.

Read analysis on misinformation across countries