2. Licensing
and terms of
use
You are welcome to use the data and slides in this report for
any purpose (commercial or non-commercial) in return for
simple attribution under a Creative Commons license.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Please attribute to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report
2015. If relevant, add a link to digitalnewsreport.org
We welcome feedback and questions at
info@digitalnewsreport.org
2
3. Background and
methodology
This is one of the largest news surveys in
the world. Explores the online news habits
of more than 20,000 people in twelve
countries. Research was conducted online
in January/early February 2015.
Additional analysis of key themes, country
level insights from network of partners
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 3
Please note that Brazil is representative of an urban population rather than a national population.
Source: Internet World Stats www.internetworldstats.com internet population estimate 2014.
4. Key
findings
Move to mobile quickening – smartphone ever more central
Growing power of social platforms (and messaging apps)
Video and new visual formats finally taking off
Increased disruption for traditional media from new wave of
digital-born companies and aggregators
Making money from online news getting harder because of
mobile and social
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 4
6. Strong growth in news
via smartphone
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 6
8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: All (total sample in each country)
ALSO
Australia 58%
Ireland 52%
Finland 50%
Italy 44%
7. Weakening growth in
TABLET access
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 7
8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: All (total sample in each country)
ALSO
Australia 35%
Ireland 22%
Finland 26%
Spain 24%
Italy 22%
Brazil 19%
8. Digital devices for accessing the news
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 8
The computer remains the most important device for online news, but for many this is now
supplemented by heavy usage of smartphones and tablets. Across our entire sample almost half
(45%) now use more than two digital devices to access the news, up from a third (33%) in 2013.
10. Age profile for smartphone and tablets
Most smartphone news use is with under 45s. Tablet news use tends to be older
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 10
11. Mobile app or mobile browser?
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 11
In most countries the mobile browser remains the main access point to news. In the five countries we
looked at, only in the UK – and only on smartphones – do more people say they use apps than a mobile
browser.
Q9a/b. Thinking specifically about when you look for news on a MOBILE/TABLET, which of the following statements most applies to you?
Base: All who used a smartphone/tablet for news in the last week. UK = 899/675, US = 1005/521, Germany = 700/331, Finland = 775/391, Italy = 927/384, Australia = 1154/730
12. People use fewer sources
on smartphone
70%
have a news app installed
on their phone, only a third
actually use them in a
given week
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 12
1.52
Average sources per
person on smartphone –
significantly fewer than on
a tablet or computer.
Strong brands that provide breaking news or other strong
utility do well but have to earn place in
attention economy
13. How many apps and which ones?
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 13
In four countries we found the average number is just
1.52 for a smartphone and 1.59 for a tablet.
In the UK, more than half of those who downloaded
any news app used the BBC mobile app regularly
14. Mobile operating systems used for news
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 14
Richer Northern Europeans tend to favour Apple devices. The Spanish and Brazilians use predominantly other systems
such as Android and Blackberry. Tablets see a more even split with Apple users driving almost half of all news usage.
Q8b. Which, if any, of the following
devices have you used to access
news in the last week?
Base: Total sample in each country.
16. Top news sources compared 2012-15
Online news broadly stayed at the same level. TV has declined a bit especially in the US. The main change has
been the decline in printed newspaper and the rise of social media
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 16
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Base: various. NB: 2014 data for TV, Print, Online and Social has
been estimated because of an issue with randomisation of responses in that year
17. Top news sources compared 2012-15
But it is not the same story everywhere. TV viewing in Germany remains strong even with the young while social
media growth is less pronounced. In Denmark online has overtaken TV and social media is growing fast
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 17
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Base: various. NB: 2014 data for TV, Print, Online and Social has
been estimated because of an issue with randomisation of responses in that year
18. Main source of news
TV remains the most important source of news in many countries. France, Germany, and
Japan have the strongest allegiance to traditional media and they have been slower to adopt
new digital trends such as smartphones and social media
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 18
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who used a source of news in
the last week in each country.
19. Main source of news by age
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 19
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who have used news
sources in the last week =23155
But averages hide stark splits between generations. Young Germans or Japanese are likely to have more in
common with young Americans or Finns in preferring online news and social media to TV news, radio, or print.
20. Main source of news by age – UK
The generational differences are even more stark in the UK. 76% of 18-24s say online is their main source of
news, compared with 12% saying TV. Most over 55s prefer TV
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 20
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All who have used news
sources in the last week, UK =2139
21. Young turning away from TV News
Some of the biggest falls have been in the United States, France, and Denmark. Only a quarter (24%) of under 35s
watch TV news bulletins or programmes in the US compared with 37% two years ago. In Germany 58% of under
35s still watch bulletins or programmes weekly.
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 21
22. TV best for accuracy and reliability
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 22
Q3ai-iv. Which one of the sources that you've used in the last week do you find best for the following? Base: Aggregate of six countries; US; UK; Germany
France; Spain; Ireland (n= 116930).
TV comes out strongest for accuracy and reliability – even social media users agree. Social media and online is
valued more for speed and for finding new stories. Print comes into its own for analysis.
23. Overall trust in the news environment
Overall we see the highest levels of trust in media systems with a good mix of strong public service broadcasters
and robust commercial players - such as Finland, Germany, Denmark and the UK.
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 23
Q6a. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I think you can trust most news most of the time”. Q6b.
Thinking specifically about news sources that you use, do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “I think I can trust most of the news
that I use most of the time”. Base: Total sample in each country
24. Motivations for following the news
Across all markets the most important reasons were to ‘know what’s going on in the world’ and also ‘to understand
how news may affect me’. In Germany, the UK, and Denmark habit is a key driver of usage, while in Italy and the
United States there is a strong motivation around the duty of the citizen to stay informed.
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 24
25. Partisan viewing of TV news channels
US AND UK COMPARED
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 25
In the United Kingdom there is a tradition of impartiality backed up by strong regulation. The US TV
news model is more partisan
27. Facebook becoming more important for news
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 27
Q12a/b. Which, if any, of the following have you used for any purpose/for reading, watching, sharing, or discussing news
in the last week? Base: Combined sample =23557.
41% (+6)
Access use Facebook weekly for finding sharing
or discussing news. Facebook owns WhatsApp
and Instagram
28. 18-24s use a range of different networks
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 28
Q12a/b. Which, if any, of the following have you used for any purpose/for reading, watching, sharing, or discussing news in the last week?
Base: Combined sample 18-24s =2424.
Snapchat Discover launched in January 2015
as a new platform for short form news
29. Age distribution of different social
networks
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 29
Each network has a
very distinct age profile.
Facebook is spread
evenly but Snapchat
and Instagram skew
heavily towards under
35s.
In the US nearly half of
Snapchat users are
under 25.
30. Top three social networks by country
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 30
Brazil is the biggest user of Facebook for news, with over 70% of our urban sample. Japan is
the only country where Facebook is not most widely used – partly because users there prefer
networks that offer anonymity online.
31. WhatsApp growth in last year
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 31
WhatsApp, an American start-up now owned by Facebook, has a very small user base in the US (4%). It is
much more popular in Brazil (61%), Spain (67%), Italy (49%), and Germany (41%). In those countries it is also
used heavily to discover and share news
32. We seek news on Twitter but
bump into it on Facebook
Twitter is seen as a news destination. Facebook is not. This explains the different strategies employed to
seed news in each network and the relative popularity of different news brands
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 32
Q12Cii/Dii. You say you use Twitter/Facebook for news. Which of the following statements applies best to you? Base: Combined sample of UK, US, Italy,
Australia, = Facebook=3560, Twitter = 861.
TOP ENGLISH PUBLISHERS
IN FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
33. Following journalists and politicians on
social media
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 33
Q12g. When accessing news 26 through social media like Facebook,Google+, YouTube, or Twitter, have you subscribed to or followed any of the following?
Base: All who used social 12 media for news in the last weekUK = 867, US = 1249, Italy = 1521, 15 Australia = 1244.
Journalists and news organisations together are directly followed by around a third of users in social media
(32%). Those in the UK and the US have the greatest tendency to follow politicians and political parties.
35. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 35
Gateways to news
In countries like the UK, Denmark, and Finland, branded websites are often the starting point for any news journey. By
contrast, in Italy, Spain, Germany, or France a search engine is often the key gateway while social media are
important in Australia and Urban Brazil.
36. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 36
Percentage using social media to find
news (2013-15)
Facebook and other social outlets are driving
more traffic to major news sites. Referrals from
Facebook increased 42% in the last year to major
English news sites.
Publishers are delighted at extra traffic but are
concerned about over-reliance on Facebook and
in particular about its algorithms, which are
changing all the time and over which they have
no control.
37. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 37
Social discovery more popular with the young
Under 35s favour social media but in strong-brand countries like the UK and Denmark they are no less likely to
start a journey directly with a brand than over 35s. For them social media are additive, while in the US and Japan
they appears to be more substitutional
38. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 38
Social discovery embraced by women more
than men
Social media is the only discovery mechanism that appeals more to female users. Those who visit news sites
regularly, sign up for email, or receive mobile notifications are heavily male skewed
39. Growth of mobile
alerts by country
Mobile alerts to mobile phones via app or SMS
are becoming a more important way of reaching
consumers. France and the US are leading the
trend with the UK growing fastest in this direction
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 39
Q10. Thinking about you got news online (via computer, mobile or any device) in the LAST WEEK, which were the ways in which you came across
news stories? (Please select all that apply) Base: Various.
40. Email and social media compared by
time of day and type
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 40
41. Social media news use linked to smartphone
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 41
Email is still mainly accessed from the computer, partly due to the older demographics. Social media usage is
increasingly driven by smartphones and tablets – again primarily because younger people are using those devices.
42. Search and social encourage the use of more
news sources
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 42
Three quarters of those using search and social say they sometimes or frequently access different news sources to the ones they
would usually use.
Q10ai/bi/ci. When accessing news links through search/social/site or mobile app that pulls together news sources, to what extent do
you find yourself accessing different sources of news, when compared with your regular brands?
Base: All who used search/social media/newsreader apps to access news in the last week UK = 674/613/97, US = 925/798/132, France =
808/364/109, Italy = 1315/670/125, Ireland = 697/543/109.
43. Factors that drive people to click on news links
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 43
The key driver in search is the relevance of a headline, though the brand plays an important role. By contrast, in social media the
headline tends to be less important than either a recommendation by a trusted brand or from someone you know.
45. Growth in online video usage
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 45
We see a significant jump in the use of online news video in all countries except Germany and also in the US, where the
big move happened between 2013 and 2014. Almost a third of US audiences still consume video each week (30%), with
Spain and Italy catching up with growth of +10 and +5 respectively.
46. Barriers to video usage
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 46
Q11ai. You said that you don’t usually watch news videos online. Why not?
Base: All who did not watch online video news in the last week UK = 1689, US = 1588, France = 1609, Germany = 1622, Finland = 1175, Italy = 1495, Ireland =
1093.
Of those who don’t use video, four in ten (40%) said they found reading quicker and more convenient, with 19% agreeing that
videos rarely add anything useful to the text. Older groups are two- thirds as likely to express a preference for a bigger screen.
Younger groups are more impatient about load times and preroll advertisements
47. Barriers to video usage
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 47
Q11ai. You said that you don’t usually watch news videos online. Why not?
Base: All who did not watch online video news in the last week UK = 1689, US = 1588, France = 1609, Germany = 1622, Finland = 1175, Italy = 1495, Ireland =
1093.
Of those who don’t use video, four in ten (40%) said they found reading quicker and more convenient, with 19% agreeing that
videos rarely add anything useful to the text. Older groups are two- thirds as likely to express a preference for a bigger screen.
Younger groups are more impatient about load times and preroll advertisements
48. Types of video consumed
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 48
Q11aii. Which TYPES of news video have you watched online in the last month? Base: All who watched online news video in the last month UK = 460, US = 707,
France = 382, Germany = 353, Finland = 334, Italy = 511, Ireland = 408.
Short news clips (66%) are accessed most regularly; providing eyewitness testimony – particularly on a breaking
story – or additional context. Live streams tend to be watched by those who are most interested in news
49. Attitudes to video vs text
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 49
Compared with last year, fewer people ‘mostly read in text’ and more people occasionally or regularly
watch online news video
50. Types of news consumed
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 50
Fewer people are looking at the front page of a website
(list of stories), more people are discovering stories
from search or social media.
More people are looking at picture galleries, watching
video and visiting live blogs
Q11. Thinking of the way you looked at news online (via any device) in the last
week, which of the following ways of consuming news did you use?
Base: All.
Note: ‘Looked at a list’ added in 2015. ‘Read news stories or articles’ was previously
‘Read longer news stories or articles’.
51. Consumption of lists by country and age
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 51
Japanese, Brazilians, and Finns have particularly embraced these formats, but only 5% of Germans and
7% of French access them in a given week. Usage of lists is driven by younger groups and by users of new
digital-born sites like Buzzfeed.
55. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 55
Q4b. When do you typically access the news?
Base: Total sample in selected countries. Mainly Digital = 3328, Platform Agnostics = 2669, Traditionalists = 1982.
News access by time of day
DIGITAL VS TRADITIONALISTS
Mainly digital users have a flatter
consumption curve than those who still
consume news via mainly traditional
means. With the latter group, we see
more distinct peaks around early
morning, lunchtime, and early evening,
coinciding with the key TV and radio
broadcasts.
56. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 56
Q4b. When do you typically access the news?
Base: Total UK = 2149, US = 2295, Spain = 2026, Finland = 1509.
News access by time of day
BY SELECTED COUNTRIES
The UK curve broadly mirrors the times
of the core radio and TV news shows –
reflecting the high proportion of
traditional users. The Spanish tend to
start and finish later, with a major dip in
usage during the afternoon. In Finland,
the main TV news shows are spread
throughout the evening, leading to their
slightly later consumption curve.
57. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 57
Where people access the news
SELECTED COUNTRIES
58. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 58
Mobile phone is key way of accessing
news on public transport
On public transport the mobile
phone has extended its lead over
printed newspapers and over the
tablet in Denmark and the UK.
59. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 59
Mobiles and tablets are invading
communal spaces in the home - UK
In communal spaces such as the
living room and kitchen, the TV
remains by far the most regularly
accessed but, over the last two
years, we see a significant
increase in the use of mobiles
and tablets in both the UK and
Denmark.
60. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 60
Distraction around TV news by time of
day and type
62. Japan, Australia suffering most disruption –
Finland, Denmark and UK the least
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 62
Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week ? Via online platforms (web, mobile, tablet, e-reader).
Base: All markets 2015.
63. Battle for global eyeballs
The Huffington Post and Buzzfeed now operate in a number of countries and languages They are growing fast. The Guardian and Mail are
focusing in UK, US and Australia. Yahoo, MSN and HuffPo are leading through joint enterprises and approaches
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 63
1 Weighted percentage calculated using population data from Internet World Stats and the World Bank: weighted = (country population * percentage adults * percentage accessed)/total population of all
countries surveyed. Brazil is not included due to the absence of reliable data about its urban population. * Joint ventures , ** previously joint ventures now mainly locally owned y
HUFF POST BUZZFEED VICE D MAIL GUARDIAN NY TIMES BBC CNN MSN YAHOO
US 22% 10% 3% 3% 4% 12% 10% 14% 11% 23%
UK 12% 5% 1% 14% 12% 1% 48% 1% 5% 8%
France 8%* 1% 1% - - 1% 3% 2% 7% 8%
Germany 6% 1% 1% - - 1% 3% 3% 4% 5%
Spain 8% 1% 1% - - 3% 5% 4% 9% 8%
Italy 7%* 1% 1% - - 2% 3% 4% 8% 11%
Ireland 8% 6% 1% 7% 4% 4% 17% 5% 5% 9%
Brazil 1% 2% 1% - - 6% 8% 9% 20% 18%
Australia 12% 7% 1% 3% 7% 4% 14% 7% 25%** 21%**
Japan 2%* 1% - - - 2% 3% 5% 10% 52%**
Weighted1 10% 4% 1% 2% 2% 5% 8% 6% 8% 18%
65. RISJ Digital News Report 2015 65
Newspaper purchase by country
Q7. Have you bought (paid for) a printed newspaper in the last week? (This could be an ongoing subscription or one-off payment for a
physical copy.) Base: Total sample in each country
A number of countries have shown a significant decline in newspaper purchase over the last two years including Germany (-
9), Japan (-7), US (-7), and the UK (-8). In Japan much of that loss has come from under 35s
66. Paying for online news content
Compared to overall reach, the numbers paying for online news in any form remains relatively low
US, UK, Denmark, Australia, Finland Japan have majority ongoing subscription – paid for websites or apps. Other countries
like Ireland are only just starting with paywalls so payments tend to be for single apps, day passes or other add-ons.
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 66
Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid for ONLINE news service in the last year ? (This could be digital subscription,
combined digital/print subscription or one off payment for an article or app). Base: All markets 2015 – UK: 2149; Germany: 1969; Spain: 2026; Italy: 2006;
France: 1991; Denmark: 2019; Finland: 1509; USA: 2295; Urban Brazil: 2033; Japan: 2017: Ireland: 1501; Australia: 2042.
ONGOING ONE-OFF
Japan 76% 39%
Denmark 71% 17%
Australia 70% 27%
US 67% 30%
UK 71% 27%
Germany 60% 47%
Spain 49% 53%
Ireland 31% 63%
Italy 45% 63%
67. Breakdown in payment for online news
SELECTED COUNTRIES
Average (median payment) is £10/month in the UK, $10/month in the United States, AUS$10/month in Australia
but only around €5 in Spain where one-off payment is more prevalent
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 67
68. How much might you be prepared to
pay for a news brand you like?
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 68
Q7civ. What is the maximum price you would pay for a subscription to a digital-only news service – including full access to its website, apps, and any
digital replicas of the newspaper? Base: All who had not paid for news in the last year UK = 1992, US = 1942, Spain = 1773, Australia = 1805.
69. Advertising revenues
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 69
Sources: IAB, News Digital Ad Spend from Advertising Association/Warc Expenditure Report
70. Sponsored and
branded content
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 70
33%
feel disappointed
or deceived after
reading an article
that turned out to
be paid for by an
advertiser
13%
feel content
valuable to them
28%
feel more negatively towards
the news organisation
84. Online reach of broadcasters,
newspapers and digital born players
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 84
Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Via online platforms (web, mobile, tablet, e-reader).
Base: Total sample in each country.
In Finland and Denmark, traditional newspaper brands still dominate online news. In the UK and Brazil
broadcast brands take the largest share, In Japan, Brazil, Australia, and the US there has been far more
impact from digital-born players.
85. Newspaper brand reach by country
PRINT/ONLINE SPLIT
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 85
Overall we find that three-quarters of our sample (74%) across all countries access a newspaper brand
each week but in most countries the audience share coming from the online part of the operation
grows every year.
86. Broadcaster reach by country
TV and Radio vs Online
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 86
Audience levels and business models around broadcast news have not been disrupted to the same extent as
print. Indeed for most, online news has been an opportunity to extend services and overall reach by competing
head to head with newspapers around text news.
87. Broadcaster reach by country
TV and Radio vs Online
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 87
Audience levels and business models around broadcast news have not been disrupted to the same extent as
print. Indeed for most, online news has been an opportunity to extend services and overall reach by competing
head to head with newspapers around text news.
88. Selected Public Service broadcasters
TV & Radio vs Online
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 88
Public broadcasters in Finland, Denmark, and the UK have faced little restriction on their ability to
leverage their considerable investments in journalism online. By contrast NHK in Japan, RAI in Italy, and
public broadcasters in Germany and France have faced financial, political, or organisational constraints.
89. Public Service Broadcasters use by age
RISJ Digital News Report 2015 89
Of the selected broadcasters, the BBC has the highest overall reach, with almost 80% accessing a news
broadcast, news website, or app in the last week. It also has the flattest age profile. By contrast YLE, the
Finnish broadcaster, reaches only four in ten young people (40%) but nine in ten (91%) of over 55s.. As
young people watch less television the low levels of online reach will increasingly affect the legitimacy of
public broadcasters and the way they are funded.