Are Young People Still Interested in News?

Why It Matters

Declining news interest among young adults threatens future civic engagement, prompting media outlets to adapt content to retain this key demographic.

Key Takeaways

• Only one‑third of 18‑24 year olds are highly interested in news
• Interest among young adults dropped from 60% in 2013 to 33% now
• Mood impact remains top reason young people avoid news, like older generations
• Younger audiences rank satirical news higher, but politics among least popular topics
• Over‑55s find politics top three, while 18‑24s deem it irrelevant

Summary

The video examines how news interest varies by age, revealing a sharp decline among 18‑24‑year‑olds compared with older cohorts.

Only about one‑third of young adults say they are very or extremely interested in news, versus roughly half of those 45 and older. In 2013, 60 % of the same age group reported high interest, indicating a steep drop. Across all generations, overall news interest has fallen, making today’s young people less engaged than even older adults were a decade ago.

Both young and older viewers cite negative mood effects as the primary reason for avoiding news. However, 18‑24‑year‑olds are more likely than those over 55 to label news as irrelevant or hard to understand. They also rank fun or satirical coverage higher, while politics sits near the bottom of their preferences, opposite the older audience’s top‑three ranking.

These trends suggest media firms must rethink content strategy—emphasizing relevance, clarity, and lighter formats—to recapture younger audiences and sustain informed citizenship.

Original Description

Last year, only around a third of 18 to 24s said they were very or extremely interested in news. This compares to about half of those 45 and older. And while this age gap isn't new, the overall level of interest is. In 2013, young people were far more interested in news than young people today.

Levels of news avoidance across age groups are similar with the effect on people's moods being the main reason for selectively avoiding news. However, younger people are more likely than older people to say they avoid news because it's irrelevant or hard to follow.

Younger people are also more likely to prioritise fun/entertaining news than older people, and are less likely to prioritise political news.

Our colleague Amy Ross explains here.

Read more from our report on young people's attitudes towards news: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/understanding-young-news-audiences-time-rapid-change