Norwegians increasingly avoiding news, report finds

A growing number of Norwegians are tuning out the news, with nearly four in ten reporting they avoid it either often or sometimes. The Reuters Digital News Report, which surveyed nearly 50 countries, found that this trend is increasing most rapidly in Norway.

This year, 39 percent of Norwegians said they avoid news, a significant jump from previous years and a stark contrast to the 20 percent who reported the same before the pandemic. The report highlights that women are more likely than men to avoid news, with 44 percent of women and 34 percent of men expressing this sentiment.

Researchers suggest that the constant stream of global events, from political upheavals to international conflicts, contributes to this news avoidance. The report notes that a world situation, with news media geared for constant updates, is likely a key explanation for the rise in news avoidance.

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With this year's figures, Norway is the country in the survey where the proportion of people avoiding news is increasing the most, even though it is increasing in all the countries we usually compare ourselves with.

Despite this trend, Norwegians remain highly engaged with paying for news. The country ranks among the world's leaders in willingness to pay for digital news, with 40 percent subscribing or accessing paid digital news in the past year. This figure has remained stable in recent years, up from 27 percent a decade ago. However, payment is not evenly distributed, with older individuals and men more likely to pay than younger people and women.

While trust in news has declined in many countries, it remains relatively stable in Norway. However, concerns about fake news are on the rise, with an increasing percentage of people worried about distinguishing fact from fiction.

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For democracy, it is a problem if many people avoid news over time, and these do not have other sources or ways to important information, and thus have a weaker connection to society. It is therefore something else than temporary, partial avoidance.