Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
Gen Z news consumption in the United States - statistics & facts
Gen Z: the demographic occupying the minds of many marketers and media companies across the globe. From how these young consumers buy products to their engagement with politics and current affairs, Gen Z has come under sharp focus in recent years, and for some brands, is a top priority. But how do these digital natives consume news?
Teenage audiences are especially inclined to get their news on social platforms. More than half of Gen Z teens aged 14 to 19 years old report getting news via social media feeds or messaging services, compared to roughly a third of those aged 20 to 24 years old.
The pandemic presented new challenges when it came to accessing accurate information, and a global survey revealed that the leading sources of COVID-19 news for Gen Z and millennials worldwide were national newspapers, television, and radio. These traditional news outlets, also the most trusted, were the go-to for young consumers for updates on this particular topic. Social media content published by traditional media was also significantly more popular than social networks in general, with just 0.9 percent of respondents using the latter for coronavirus updates.
Social media: Gen Z’s gateway to news
A report on social media usage found that Gen Z spent several hours on leading social networks each day. Some of this time goes on news consumption – data shows that social media is the leading news source worldwide among consumers aged 35 years old or under. In the United States, 50 percent of Gen Z adults use social media for news every day. The share who reported this level of social media news consumption frequency was almost four times higher than the share who went to online-only news websites. This highlights just how much Gen Z news audiences rely on social media to keep up to date and emphasizes their preference for social networks above all other digital news outlets.Teenage audiences are especially inclined to get their news on social platforms. More than half of Gen Z teens aged 14 to 19 years old report getting news via social media feeds or messaging services, compared to roughly a third of those aged 20 to 24 years old.
Trust and news reading habits
Trust in news among U.S. adults varies according to generation and the type of news in question, but a survey showed that Gen Z appeared generally skeptical of all news sources. Social media was considered the least trustworthy source, though only slightly behind cable news, network news, and podcasts, whereas older respondents were more divided, clearly favoring traditional over digital news outlets. Looking at the bigger picture though, the fact remains that Gen Z’s preferred news source is the one they trust the least. Perhaps, given the digital competence of this generation, Gen Z feel that they can bypass suspicious or biased content, and indeed, they do not always go to social networks to keep up to date.The pandemic presented new challenges when it came to accessing accurate information, and a global survey revealed that the leading sources of COVID-19 news for Gen Z and millennials worldwide were national newspapers, television, and radio. These traditional news outlets, also the most trusted, were the go-to for young consumers for updates on this particular topic. Social media content published by traditional media was also significantly more popular than social networks in general, with just 0.9 percent of respondents using the latter for coronavirus updates.
