According to the poll, most young people in America are definitely following the news of today. However, they may not be enjoying what they’re reading.
The findings came as a part of a new study that was published on Wednesday. This showed how 80% of the younger generation in America receive the news daily. This age group includes those between 16 to 40. The older generation is called the Millennials while the younger lot has been dubbed Gen Z.
The research was carried out by the Media Insight Project and was considered to be a collab between the American Press Institute and the Associated Press- NORC Center.
In this particular poll, we see the research dive deep into understanding how uninterested the younger generation is in news. And this perception has come about thanks to statistics.
Older audiences enjoy news in the form of TV or even newspapers. They’re definitely more engaged than others. However, the latter tends to be criticized a lot and is usually not given credit where it's due.
Gen Z receives most of its news through online sources like social media. And these sources are also varying with each passing day. Remember, Facebook is no longer a dominant player on the news front.
Hence, now it’s a rivalry between both YouTube and Instagram as that’s where most of the news comes from. And then you have TikTok, Twitter, and Snap taking a punch in the race as well, providing a quarter of the news.
Facebook accounts for 40% of the news shared online, which has dropped from 57% as recorded in the past. Meanwhile, around 45% of those surveyed said their news source was also very classic like the TV, radio station, newspaper, and news-based websites as well.
Interestingly, the findings also showed how a quarter of the younger lot pays for around one news product such as a newspaper or a digital magazine. And the same number of people claim donated to around one news-based non-profit organization too.
But out of these respondents, only 33% like what they’re following online. And even a smaller percentage of Gen Z claim they enjoy speaking about trending news these days with others.
So many readers feel worse after glancing over the news as there’s a weariness about the whole situation. But the study also found how 9 in 10 young readers stated the root problem to be misinformation presented online. And a lot of them have been exposed to it.
As far as who is the most likely culprit of so much misinformation spread online, well, no surprises here. Gen Z pointed fingers at social media companies which they claim like authoritative checks to make sure facts coming out are true before they’re published on their platforms.
This just might not make many social media apps happy because they claim to be fighting a war of misinformation and are doing everything in their power to ward it off as well.
So many young readers have grown up in households where politics and news have been at the forefront of discussion and that’s why they’ve had enough of it. So many debates, controversies, and problems arise and many just don’t wish to be associated with it.
A lot of Generation Z readers would much rather watch the news for celebrities, music, movies, entertainment, travel, food, and other light-hearted things. And then there’s a third that follows matters linked to health and fitness, sports, justice, and education. So as you can see, the findings are definitely unique.
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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
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