The majority of Australian adults under 25 have never used newspapers or radio as a source of news, according to the 2026 Digital News Report which tracks the changing habits of news consumers.

However, overall interest in news has increased, in particular among women and young people, after years of decline. Since 2024, the interest of 18 to 24-year-olds in news has risen sharply (+12) to 47%.

Interest in politics has also risen among people under 35, who now have higher levels of political interest than older cohorts for the first time.

A survey by the News and Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra found 40% of all Australians who used to get their news from newspapers and radio have stopped using the traditional media platforms while 60% of 18 to 24-year-olds have never used newspapers as a source of news.

Radio has never been a source of news for 53% of under-25s and TV has never been a source of news for 25% of that demographic.

The long-term trend is away from traditional forms of media such as TV and radio news bulletins and daily newspapers to new media. TV is hanging on as the main source of news (57%) but is followed closely by social media (56%) and online news (52%).

As social media, including Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, grows as a main source of news, creators and influencers are increasingly interpreting the news for their followers. Almost half (48%, +12) of 18 to 24-year-olds use TikTok for news.

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“Australians’ news consumption continues to evolve across platforms, pathways and devices,” the Digital News Report released on Tuesday said.

“While traditional sources such as TV remain important, digital pathways are becoming increasingly prominent. Social media is now the second most widely used source of news, ahead of online news, while podcasts and AI chatbots continue to grow.”

The Australian study is part of an international survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which canvassed news consumers worldwide, including a statistical sample of 2,025 people in Australia.

As political discussion becomes more polarised it is perhaps surprising that 49% of Australians say they prefer news from sources that do not take a particular point of view.

Only one in five (17%) favour news that aligns with their own viewpoint, and the same number seek news from sources that challenge their views.

There is good news for the country’s public service broadcasters, ABC and SBS, with almost half of news consumers saying public service media has a positive effect on life in Australia.

Conversely, 39% of rightwing consumers surveyed say that public service media has a negative effect on society.

The majority of those aged 25 to 34 (68%) are far more positive about public service media than those aged 55 to 64 (34%) and 65-plus (38%).

The authors, led by the University of Canberra’s Prof Sora Park, found that young people are more positive about the quality of news coverage compared with older generations and they also place high value on public service media.

The new frontier for accessing news is generative AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Gemini. Almost 10% of people report using the tools to get their news, including asking it follow-up questions.

Globally, trust in news is at a 10-year low and has dropped to 37%, the lowest level since the report started measuring trust in 2015.

According to the global edition of the Digital News Report of almost 100,000 online news consumers in 48 markets, the steepest declines were recorded in the Philippines (-10 points), Ireland (-9), Thailand, Peru and Poland (all -8).

In the United States only 25% say they trust “most news most of the time”. This amounts to a five-point fall from 2025 and it’s even lower (15%) among right-leaning Americans.

Some news brands have experienced large drops in trust: CBS News and Fox News both fell 10 points year-on-year and CNN fell by six.