A new study by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Reuters Institute revealed that 48 percent of the world’s citizens are “very interested in the news”, a decrease of 15 percent compared to 63 percent who answered this way in a previous survey conducted in 2017. 36 percent of the participants in the survey said that “they often avoid consuming news.”
The recently published Digital News Report also revealed that the consumption of traditional media such as television and print media continues to decline consistently, while consumers of online media are already reading less, avoiding opening news sites on the Internet, and showing less interest in news.

40 percent said that “they trust most of the news, most of the time”, a decrease of 2 percent compared to the previous survey in 2017. 56 percent claimed that “they are worried about whether they will be able to identify which news is reliable and which is fake on the various websites”. 43 percent of the respondents in the survey said that they prefer to consume their news through social networks.
Facebook is still the main platform for news via social media, although it recorded a 14 percent decrease in the number of users reading news on it every week. 14 percent listed Instagram as their main source, and 6 percent listed TikTok.
The authors of the study wrote that “there is evidence that the audience continues to selectively avoid important stories such as the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis, as citizens of the world attempt to reduce the amount of depressing news they consume to protect their mental health.”