The link between changing news use and trust: longitudinal analysis of 46 countries

Richard Fletcher; Simge Andı; Sumitra Badrinathan; Kirsten A Eddy; Antonis Kalogeropoulos; Camila Mont'Alverne; Craig T Robertson; Amy Ross Arguedas; Anne Schulz; Benjamin Toff; Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

doi:10.1093/joc/jqae044

The link between changing news use and trust: longitudinal analysis of 46 countries

Richard Fletcher, Simge Andı, Sumitra Badrinathan, Kirsten A Eddy, Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Camila Mont'Alverne, Craig T Robertson, Amy Ross Arguedas, Anne Schulz, Benjamin Toff, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

Communication Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Changing levels of public trust in the news are of deep concern to both researchers and practitioners. We use data from 2015 to 2023 in 46 countries to explore how trust in news has changed, while also exploring the links with sociodemographic variables, differences by media system, and changing patterns of news use. We find that (a) there has been a small overall decline in trust in news since 2015, but also that (b) there are different trends in different countries. More specifically, trust has declined more in media environments that have become less structured by television news use, and increasingly structured by social media news use. Our findings underscore how changing structures of media use may be central to explaining trust dynamics in recent years, which suggests new avenues for restoring trust where it has eroded.

Original language	English
Article number	jqae044
Number of pages	15
Journal	Journal of Communication
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqae044
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2024

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10.1093/joc/jqae044Licence: CC BY

117581943Final published version, 1.44 MBLicence: CC BY

https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqae044

Cite this

@article{2510a921ab3947138b12e55ca9b46767,

title = "The link between changing news use and trust: longitudinal analysis of 46 countries",

abstract = "Changing levels of public trust in the news are of deep concern to both researchers and practitioners. We use data from 2015 to 2023 in 46 countries to explore how trust in news has changed, while also exploring the links with sociodemographic variables, differences by media system, and changing patterns of news use. We find that (a) there has been a small overall decline in trust in news since 2015, but also that (b) there are different trends in different countries. More specifically, trust has declined more in media environments that have become less structured by television news use, and increasingly structured by social media news use. Our findings underscore how changing structures of media use may be central to explaining trust dynamics in recent years, which suggests new avenues for restoring trust where it has eroded.",

author = "Richard Fletcher and Simge Andı and Sumitra Badrinathan and Eddy, {Kirsten A} and Antonis Kalogeropoulos and Camila Mont'Alverne and Robertson, {Craig T} and {Ross Arguedas}, Amy and Anne Schulz and Benjamin Toff and Nielsen, {Rasmus Kleis}",

year = "2024",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1093/joc/jqae044",

language = "English",

journal = "Journal of Communication",

issn = "0021-9916",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

}

The link between changing news use and trust: longitudinal analysis of 46 countries. / Fletcher, Richard; Andı, Simge; Badrinathan, Sumitra; Eddy, Kirsten A; Kalogeropoulos, Antonis; Mont'Alverne, Camila; Robertson, Craig T; Ross Arguedas, Amy; Schulz, Anne; Toff, Benjamin; Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis.

In: Journal of Communication, 01.11.2024.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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AU - Fletcher, Richard

AU - Andı, Simge

AU - Badrinathan, Sumitra

AU - Eddy, Kirsten A

AU - Kalogeropoulos, Antonis

AU - Mont'Alverne, Camila

AU - Robertson, Craig T

AU - Ross Arguedas, Amy

AU - Schulz, Anne

AU - Toff, Benjamin

AU - Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis

PY - 2024/11/1

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AB - Changing levels of public trust in the news are of deep concern to both researchers and practitioners. We use data from 2015 to 2023 in 46 countries to explore how trust in news has changed, while also exploring the links with sociodemographic variables, differences by media system, and changing patterns of news use. We find that (a) there has been a small overall decline in trust in news since 2015, but also that (b) there are different trends in different countries. More specifically, trust has declined more in media environments that have become less structured by television news use, and increasingly structured by social media news use. Our findings underscore how changing structures of media use may be central to explaining trust dynamics in recent years, which suggests new avenues for restoring trust where it has eroded.

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