Nieman Foundation at Harvard
A new report finds that when it comes to news consumption, age isn’t just a number. Older people look to the news for different things than their younger counterparts.
The study — based on survey data from more than 45,000 people in 23 European nations — investigated what motivated people to consume news. Though there are notable differences in media ecosystems across the different countries, the survey found no “country effect” when looking at news consumption. Instead, age emerged as the more influential factor over how and why people sought news.
From the paper, published in the European Journal of Communication last month, by University of Navarra researchers Mónica Recalde, Alfonso Vara-Miguel, Jorge del Río Pérez, and Cristina Sánchez-Blanco:
Our data show that, although potential differences between countries may exist, they do not substantially explain the overall variability in motivations to stay informed….This contrasts with a well-established body of literature suggesting that national contexts and media systems are key determinants of media consumption behaviors. According to this study’s findings, age appears to be a far more influential factor in shaping motivations for news consumption, with the national context playing a marginal or negligible role.
The paper grouped news consumers into “young” (those between the ages of 18 and 35) and the “older” (everyone 35 and older) — with the elders generously referred to as “the non-young” throughout the paper. Both groups were equally likely to cite civic duty for paying attention to the news and agree that “I have a duty to keep myself informed about the news.” But they diverged in other important ways.
The older news consumers were most likely to turn to the news for “informational goals.” In other words, those 35 and up were motivated to seek information, gain knowledge, and understand current events. As people get older, they’re more and more likely to consume news for this reason. The older group was also more likely to maintain a direct connection to news sources — such as going directly to a news site homepage or downloading a news org’s app.
Younger people may “perceive consuming news as a means of personal and intellectual growth, viewing it as an opportunity to expand their knowledge, broaden their perspectives, and stay relevant in an ever-changing world,” the study notes. “As they are still in the process of shaping their identities and beliefs, they may be more inclined to seek diverse sources of information to inform their worldviews.”
The 23 European countries studied include the U.K. and France, Norway and Sweden, Slovakia and Hungary. On why there was no “country effect,” the researchers put forth some explanations:
Homogeneity: National cultures and boundaries are becoming less distinct, leading to “homogeneity among certain audience groups” that “transcends geographic or cultural contexts.”
Digital environment: This trend is especially obvious among younger generations who have come of age in a “highly interconnected and digitalized media environment,” the study notes. That digital media landscape “emphasizes immediacy, interactivity, and global access” and shapes news consumption habits similarly across borders. Younger news consumers have adapted to a media environment characterized by algorithms, personalization, and certain platforms. From the paper:
As global technology platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google News have become dominant channels for news dissemination, the way news is accessed, distributed, and interacted with has become increasingly standardized across countries. These platforms operate under similar algorithmic principles worldwide, prioritizing content based on individual behavioral patterns—such as age and interests—rather than cultural or national characteristics.
Information-rich markets: The European countries studied are what the researchers describe as information-rich markets. All have widespread internet access and few barriers to accessing news — both of which may be factors in diminishing the influence of country-specific media structures.
The study also acknowledges some limitations, such as relying on self-reported data from news consumers and clustering news consumers into just two age groups. (As someone who narrowly falls into the “non-young” category, I naturally agree on this last point.) You can read the full study here.
