In all countries in which surveys were conducted the coronavirus outbreak has drastically increased the number of people who read news in the mainstream media. Both online and television news sources have experienced significant increases. Television has become the primary source of news for many people, providing some relief from the constant decline. Since lockdowns have made it difficult to publish newspapers in physical format, the number of readers has slowed. It's almost certain that the shift to digital publishing will accelerate. Although the number of people who use social media and other online platforms has been increasing significantly across many countries, lockdowns have impacted the use of these platforms. WhatsApp saw the highest growth, with increases around ten percent in certain countries. In addition, more than half of those who were polled (51 percent) used some form of open and closed online group to share information, connect, and taking part in a local support team.
In all nations, trust in the media's coverage of COVID-19 was generally high in April 2020. This is comparable to the levels of national governments however, it is significantly higher than individual politicians. Trust in the media was nearly twice the level of trust for social media or video platforms, as well as messaging services in relation to information on COVID-19. Global concerns over the spread of false information remain very high, as we can see from our January-based dataset. The global concern about misinformation remains high even before the coronavirus outbreak. Over half of our world-wide sample of respondents said that they are concerned about what information is being spread online regarding news. Although domestic politicians are the main source of misinformation, people who consider themselves to be right-wing in some countries (including the United States) are more likely than other people to blame the media. While Facebook is widely believed to be the primary source of false information virtually everywhere, WhatsApp is more responsible in the Global South such as Brazil as well as Malaysia.
Our January poll across all countries found that less than 4 out 10 (38 percent) believed most news was credible. This is a drop of four percentage points compared to the previous year. A mere 46 percent of the respondents reported that they trust the news that they use. Public broadcasters are seeing their popularity eroded by political partisans from both the right- and left-leaning side due to the growing political polarisation and uncertainty. Our study shows that 60% of Americans prefer news that does not reflect a particular viewpoint and only 28% of them prefer news that reinforces or supports their beliefs. Though partisanship preferences in United States have slightly increased since 2013, our survey shows that a majority of Americans still favor news that is impartial or that reflects their viewpoints.
A majority (52%) would prefer media to focus on false claims made by politicians (29 percent), as they adjust to new communication styles. The public is less comfortable watching political ads on search engines and social networks than they are with TV. A majority (58%) would prefer that platforms to not show ads with false statements. We've seen significant rises in online news payments in several countries including the United States 20% (+4) and Norway 42% (+8) and Norway 42% (+8), as well as smaller rises in a range of other markets. Important to note is that most countries aren't paying for online news although some publishers have reported the existence of a "coronavirus rise".
Subscribing to the newsletter is an indication of trust. One of the most crucial thing is the quality and authenticity of the content. Subscribers believe that they get better information. However, many people are content with the information they receive at no cost. We observe a large proportion of non-subscribers (40 percent in the USA, 50% in the UK) USA, 50% UK) who think that nobody can convince them to sign up. The highest levels of payments are found in countries like the USA and Norway with more of a percentage of subscribers. About a third to half of subscriptions are given to national brands in countries like Norway, the USA as well as Norway. This indicates that there are still winners and losers. In both countries, a substantial percentage of subscribers have added more than one subscription to their current subscriptions. For radio Unirea FM Romanian radio station. Their format is composed of 60% news from all areas and 40% music. Their current programming range is focused on local news, special shows, and talk shows. They are attracted by news, contestsand interviews, but also to cultural events and debates, as well as music and entertainment.
Local newspapers and their websites are the best source of information on an area or town across the world. They reach the majority of people (44 percent) weekly. Our research shows that Facebook, and other social media platforms, are currently used at an average of around a quarter (31 percent) for local information and news. This creates more pressure on businesses and their business model. The spread of news is growing. A little more than 25% prefer beginning their journey through news through an app or a website across all countries. Generation Z (those between 18-24) prefer social media to apps and websites. They are a less strong relationship to websites and apps and are two times more likely to be more inclined to read news on these platforms. Instagram's news use has more than tripled across all age groups in the past year and is set to beat Twitter within the next few years.
Publishers are trying to combat the trend of shifting to new platforms by building close connections with their customers through email and mobile alerts to counter this trend. In the United States one in five (21%) access a news email each week, and for more than 50% of them, it's their primary way of getting news. Northern European countries are slow to embrace news channels via email. In Finland just 10% of people who use email news use it. The use of podcasts has increased in the past year, coronavirus lockdowns might have temporarily reversed this trend. More than 50 percent of people surveyed across all countries believe podcasts are more educational and understandable than other media. Meanwhile, Spotify has become the top source for podcasts in several markets, overtaking Apple's podcast app.
Overall, almost seven in ten (69 percent) consider climate change an urgent issue, but in the United States, Sweden, and Australia an overwhelming majority of people do not agree with this. This group tends to be more conservative and older. The younger groups can access many climate change news through social media and by following activists like Greta Thunberg. Amazon Echo and Google Home as well as Google Home, both voice-activated smart speaker devices, are growing rapidly. In the UK the use of these devices for any purpose has grown from 14% to 19% to 19 percent, Germany from 7%-12% and South Korea from 9%-13%. However, news usage remains in the low range in all markets.