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October 2023 - Media and PR

Survey reveals a fall in the number of people who believe having their news selected for them based on previous consumption is a good idea: A survey of people in countries around the world has revealed that fewer people believe that having their news selected for them based on previous consumption is a good idea. The research, commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism sought to to understand how news is being consumed in the UK and around the world.

The study compared findings between 2016 and 2023, revealing a 19 percentage point fall in the number of people under the age of 35 who agree that algorithmically selected news is a good idea (49% down to 30%). Similarly, a quarter  of people aged 35 and over said they agreed with the statement: ‘What I have consumed in the past is a good way to get news’ in 2016, however, just 16% did in the most recent polling. The proportion that said they disagree has stayed broadly the same. 

Focusing more on algorithms, respondents who were trying to actively change the news and information they see on online platforms shared what they were trying to achieve this,  with 'get more reliable content' revealed as the top answer (45%). This was followed by 'see more diverse perspectives' (43%), see less toxic content (38%) and see less negative content (28%). 'Making it more interesting' and 'make it more fun' were also cites (24% and 8% respectively). 

More than half the respondents polled across all areas of the world said that they are concerned about what is real and fake on the internet when it comes to news (56%), which is an increase of two percentage points since the last survey. The proportion of people concerned was highest in Africa (77%), followed by North America (65%) while in Europe the proportion was 53%.

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