The study found that although online sites and apps are more popular than TV news for the first time since the 1960s, TV and radio news are still regarded as more reliable sources.
Since the 1960s, television has dominated people’s news habits and continues to enjoy a high level of trust, according to Yih-Choung Teh, group director of strategy and research at Ofcom. “But we’re witnessing a generational shift to online news, which is often seen as less reliable.”
TV news’s audience share has been progressively dropping in recent years; last year, it dropped precipitously from 75% to 70%.
Rather, a yearly survey conducted by Ofcom indicates that 71% of adults currently get their news.
Compared to 47% in 2023, 52% of UK adults now use social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to get news.
While accessing news online is the most common method for younger people to do so, older generations are also gradually incorporating online sources into their news diets.
Today, 54% of those over 55 find news online, with the majority going straight to news websites. Just 28% use social media to get news.
