News Avoidance Dashboard

Percentage of people who sometimes or often avoid news

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report (2017-2024)

Percentage of people expressing interest

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 (12 markets tracked since 2018)

Percentage who sometimes or often actively avoid news

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024

Relationship between trust in news and avoidance behavior

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024 & related research

Primary factors cited by respondents for avoiding news

Source: Synthesized from Reuters Institute Digital News Report and academic studies

Nearly doubled in 7 years

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report

Proportion of each factor

Source: Synthesized from multiple sources cited in document

Younger people more likely to avoid news

Source: Synthesized from academic studies cited in document

Comparing platform preferences

Source: Synthesized from Reuters Institute Digital News Report and Pew Research data

Key Insights

Global news avoidance has increased from 29% in 2017 to 39% in 2024, with a concurrent decline in interest in news and politics.
News avoidance varies significantly by country, with Brazil, Spain, and the UK showing the highest rates.
Mental health concerns and information overload are the primary drivers of news avoidance.
Trust in news media is inversely correlated with avoidance behavior in most countries.
Younger generations are more likely to avoid news than older age groups.
News avoiders tend to prefer social media and video platforms, while news consumers favor traditional news sources.