Reuters Institute survey: 38% say they avoid informing themselves about the world

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A Reuters Institute survey conducted in 46 countries shows that 38% of interviewees say they avoid informing themselves. In Brazil, there are 54% – the rate doubled in 5 years. It is the 3rd highest among all nations.

The main reason, cited by 43%, is the repetition of themes in the news, such as covid and “political crises”. Another 36% say that the news “puts them down.”

According to the institute, 15% of young people (under 35) in countries such as Australia, the US, and Brazil say they have difficulty following the news-which should encourage journalists to simplify language and didactically explain more complex topics.

“These findings are particularly challenging for the news industry. Issues that journalists consider most important, such as political crises, international conflicts, and pandemics, seem to be precisely the topics that turn some people off,” says Nic Newman, one of the study’s authors.

TRUST IN THE NEWS

Trust in the news fell in 21 countries – almost half of the 46 nations in which the survey was conducted – and rose in only 7. On average, 42% say they believe the news “most of the time.

Finland remains the country with the highest rate (67%), while the USA has become the one with the lowest (26%).

Brazil has 48% – a fall of 6 percentage points (p.p.). It went from the 4th position to the 14th in one year. It fell ten places.

Brazil is also the 2nd that recorded the most significant decline in 7 years (2015-2022) in the percentage of citizens who say they are “very” or “extremely interested” in the news -the retraction was 25 p.p.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

In 2022, for the 3rd consecutive year, social media came ahead of TV as a news source in the country. They were mentioned by 64% of those interviewed – before 55%.

The survey shows that 64% of Brazilians use these platforms to get informed. Facebook, which topped the list, lost ground to YouTube and WhatsApp.

Message apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, also play a relevant role: they were mentioned by 41% and 9% as means to discuss and spread the news.

THE MOST CITED IN THE MEDIA

The survey shows that Globo remains the offline media brand (TV, radio, and print) with which Brazilians have more contact to be informed at least once a week – the rate fell slightly by 2 p.p. in one year. It is followed by RecordTV (35%) and SBT (28%) – which dropped 1 p.p.

Among the biggest highlights are GloboNews, which rose 5 p.p., and Estado de S. Paulo, which last year had 9% and, this year, is not on the list.

When the question was about online media sources, the top 3 also remained the same and registered small retreats: G1, UOL, and R7 fell 4 p.p. each.

The report brings a ranking of trust scores in communication vehicles mentioned by the interviewees.

Despite remaining as the 3rd communication vehicle in the weekly reach list, SBT appears, for the 2nd consecutive year, as the most trusted medium among those mentioned by the interviewees. It is followed by Record News (61), regional newspapers (61), and Band News (61).

In the “top 3 of mistrust”, the Globo Group has two companies: TV Globo and O Globo. Veja magazine completes the podium.

JOURNALISTS & PERSONAL OPINIONS

In Brazil, 60% say that professionals in the sector should express personal opinions when reporting the news. Among the seven countries mentioned, this is the one with the highest rate. Next comes Japan (44%).

Brazilians are the ones who pay the most attention to specific journalists and commentators (46%). Another 32% cite “news brands”.

The survey also asked which journalists attract the most attention. All of those mentioned were from TV stations, and two are from Globo: William Bonner (Globo), Datena (Band), and Maju Coutinho (Globo).

In addition, 86% of Brazilians mention professionals from TV and radio stations. Only 10% mention journalists who work exclusively in digital media.

REGISTRATION ON JOURNALISTIC SITES

The Reuters Institute asked, “Some sites now ask you to register (e.g., give an e-mail address or create an account) before granting full access to the site’s content. Have you done this in the last year?”.

Worldwide, only 28% say they have. In Brazil, the rate is higher (40%), second only to Portugal (44%).

WAR IN UKRAINE

At least 49% of respondents in Brazil are not following the conflict closely, but another 37% say they watch “very closely.” The main medium through which they follow the issue is TV (44%), followed by the Internet (41%).

METHODOLOGY

The YouGov website conducted the survey online in 46 countries from January to early February 2022. In all, 91,022 adults were interviewed – about 2,000 from each nation. In Brazil, there were 2,012.

In April, the institute conducted additional research to understand the impact of the war in Ukraine on media consumption in five countries: the UK, the USA, Germany, Poland, and Brazil.

The survey warns that in countries with more limited Internet access, such as Brazil, the sampling tends to be concentrated in more urban areas and richer and more connected people, which may interfere with the result.

With information from Poder360

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