A Generational Divide in U.S. News Sources

News consumption in the United States continues to fragment across platforms and generations, with younger audiences increasingly turning to digital sources and social media. At the same time, older Americans remain more attached to traditional outlets such as television. This shift is reflected in a recent Statista Consumer Insights survey of 8,003 U.S. adults, conducted between January and December 2025, which asked participants about the news providers (online or offline) they had used in the past four weeks.

As our chart shows, television networks still play a major role overall, but their audiences vary significantly by age group. ABC News is the most widely used of the outlets shown, reaching 39 percent of respondents overall, with usage rising steadily with age, from 31 percent among Gen Z to 44 percent among Baby Boomers. A similar pattern is evident for CBS and NBC, where older Americans are far more likely to rely on these sources. For example, 43 percent of Baby Boomers report using CBS, compared to just 27 percent of Gen Z, while NBC shows a comparable gap (40 percent vs. 20 percent).

Fox News displays a slightly different profile, with relatively strong usage among Millennials (40 percent) and Generation X (38 percent), but somewhat lower reach among Gen Z (33 percent). In contrast, CNN stands out as the only outlet in the list with higher usage among younger audiences than older ones. Around 38 percent of Millennials and Gen Z report using it, compared with about 27 to 30 percent among Gen X and Baby Boomers.