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The Reuters Institute Digital News Report for 2026 examines how people engage with news in a time of heightened uncertainty, noting that news media compete for the four to five hours daily that individuals spend on their smartphones. [source: reuters-digital-news] The report identifies a range of audience responses, including anxiety, disengagement, and cynicism, but also openness to new sources and formats, alongside a continued belief in what news at its best can offer. [source: reuters-digital-news] This year’s data shows greater volatility compared to the relative stability observed in the 2025 report, reflecting the current sense of uncertainty. [source: reuters-digital-news]
Key findings from specific markets highlight varying levels of trust and consumption habits. In the United States, only a quarter (25%) of people say they trust the news most of the time. [source: reuters-digital-news] Thailand, Indonesia, and Peru are the countries with the highest levels of online news video use, all over 80%. [source: reuters-digital-news] South Korea stands out with a relatively higher proportion of people (8%) saying they always or often click through to the original source of an AI chatbot news answer. [source: reuters-digital-news] Malaysia, Mexico, and Nigeria are among the countries where the highest proportions of people say they prefer news from sources that share their point of view. [source: reuters-digital-news]
The report includes analysis on several emerging topics. It covers the emerging uses of AI chatbots for news and what this means for journalism, authored by Amy Ross Arguedas. [source: reuters-digital-news] It also examines the changing landscape of news video, by Craig T. Robertson, and how news creators are impacting politics and media around the world, by Nic Newman. [source: reuters-digital-news] Additional sections explore why television, newspapers, and radio are losing their news audiences, by Richard Fletcher, and how audiences think about impartiality, by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. [source: reuters-digital-news] Jim Egan contributes a piece on whether people think public service news is good for their country. [source: reuters-digital-news]
Use it for
A campaigner can use this report to understand current audience attitudes toward news, including levels of trust, preferences for video content, and reactions to AI-generated news. [source: reuters-digital-news] The data on which countries show high trust or preference for like-minded sources can help tailor messaging strategies for specific markets, while the analysis on disengagement and openness to new formats informs how to present campaign information in ways that resonate with audiences. [source: reuters-digital-news]