Most Australians under 25 have never used newspapers or radio for news, survey finds
A new study reveals that the majority of young Australians have never used traditional media for news, but overall interest in news has increased. Social media is becoming the second most important news source, while global trust in news has dropped to a 10-year low.
According to the 2026 Digital News Report, most Australian adults under 25 have never used newspapers or radio as a source of news. The study was conducted by the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra.
However, overall interest in news has increased, especially among women and young people, after years of decline. Since 2024, interest in news among 18- to 24-year-olds has risen sharply by 12 percentage points to 47%. Interest in politics has also risen among people under 35, who now have higher levels of political interest than older cohorts for the first time.
The survey found that 40% of all Australians who used to get their news from newspapers and radio have stopped using these traditional media platforms. Additionally, 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds have never used newspapers as a source of news. Radio has never been a source of news for 53% of under-25s, and TV has never been a source for 25% of that demographic.
The long-term trend is away from traditional forms of media such as TV and radio news bulletins and daily newspapers to new media. TV is hanging on as the main source of news (57%), but is followed closely by social media (56%) and online news (52%).
As social media, including Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, grows as a main source of news, creators and influencers are increasingly interpreting the news for their followers. Almost half (48%) of 18- to 24-year-olds use TikTok for news.
The Australian study is part of an international survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which included a statistical sample of 2,025 people in Australia. As political discussion becomes more polarised, 49% of Australians say they prefer news from sources that do not take a particular point of view. Only one in five (17%) favour news that aligns with their own viewpoint, and the same number seek news from sources that challenge their views.
There is good news for the country’s public service broadcasters, ABC and SBS, with almost half of news consumers saying public service media has a positive effect on life in Australia. Conversely, 39% of rightwing consumers surveyed say that public service media has a negative effect on society. The majority of those aged 25 to 34 (68%) are far more positive about public service media than those aged 55 to 64 (34%) and 65-plus (38%).
The authors, led by the University of Canberra’s Prof Sora Park, found that young people are more positive about the quality of news coverage compared with older generations and also place high value on public service media.
The new frontier for accessing news is generative AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Gemini. Almost 10% of people report using these tools to get their news, including asking follow-up questions.
Globally, trust in news is at a 10-year low and has dropped to 37%, the lowest level since the report started measuring trust in 2015. The steepest declines were recorded in the Philippines (-10 points), Ireland (-9), Thailand, Peru and Poland (all -8).
In the United States, only 25% say they trust “most news most of the time.” This amounts to a five-point fall from 2025, and it’s even lower (15%) among right-leaning Americans. Some news brands have experienced large drops in trust: CBS News and Fox News both fell 10 points year-on-year, and CNN fell by six points.
