Why the Swiss are less and less interested in news

Thu, Jun 15th 2023

Interest in news is declining in Switzerland. Less than half of Swiss people say they are still “very interested” in news, according to a new report from Reuters. That is eleven percentage points less than in 2021.

Social media is set to overtake more traditional news channels in the years to come, the report says.

(Keystone) Interest in news has been declining continuously for years, according to the a “Digital News Report” published this week by Reuters.

The report has examined the news habits of residents in 46 different countries on six continents since 2012. Researchers say the 2023 report shows that some trends are gaining momentum.

One-third of Swiss people say that they sometimes or often actively avoid the news, according to the report researchers from the University of Zurich. And that number is on the rise. Before the 2019 pandemic, only 26% of respondents said they actively avoided the news.

In an international comparison, however, this decline in interest is not so pronounced, the report said. In countries like France, Great Britain and the U.S., interest has decreased even more. However, neighboring countries such as Germany and Austria mirror Switzerland.

Young Swiss turn to social media, while older Swiss use television to gather news.

Social media becoming more important

According to the report, online social media channels are playing an increasingly important role.

For about 50% of Swiss, social media channels are the most important source of information. Among Swiss adults between the ages of 18 and 24, 41% of them consider social media more important, while 37% say news sites are more important. For Swiss residents aged 55 and older, television is the main source of information at 41%.

The willingness to pay for news has increased in Switzerland in recent years. While in 2016 only 10% of those surveyed said they had paid for online news in the past year, the figure has increased to 17% in 2023.

This article was reprinted with permission from Keystone SDA.

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Why the Swiss are less and less interested in news

Why the Swiss are less and less interested in news

Interest in news is declining in Switzerland. Less than half of Swiss people say they are still “very interested” in news, according to a new report from Reuters. That is eleven percentage points less than in 2021.

Social media becoming more important

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