Knowing the news: How Gen Z and Millennials get information on essential topics

If news organizations want to win over new audiences at a time of substantive transition in journalism, growing misinformation, and multiple crises in the world, we need to understand the news habits and interests of Americans 40 and younger. These Millennials and members of Generation Z will soon become the industry’s dominant generations of news consumers and subscribers. What news topics do they follow most often, and how do they get that coverage? 

New in-depth analysis by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute, outlines how this group follows and interacts with information critical for both their personal lives and how we function collectively as a society.

This analysis dives more deeply into data released in August, which was based on a survey of nearly 6,000 individuals ages 16 to 40. That report, Fatigue, traditionalism, and engagement: News habits and attitudes of the Gen Z and Millennial generations, showed that people in this group are active consumers of a wide range of topics from a variety of sources, including traditional news outlets and individual influencers. 

The varied news diet of this group includes “lifestyle” topics like celebrities and sports, but Millennial and Gen Z consumers also follow a range of topics classified as “hard news” and “news you can use.” ¹

Understanding how this age group consumes and processes news in these latter two categories is critical for news organizations today given threats to democracy, the difficulties of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued spread of misinformation, and other crises. The need is magnified by the news fatigue this group is feeling as well as its low trust in the media, trends we identified in the first report. 

In the “hard news” category, we found that the topics followed most often by Gen Z and Millennials are: 

• National politics and government, with 15% selecting it as the topic they follow most often. 
• Social issues such as abortion, gun policy, or LGBTQ issues, selected by 15%.
• Crime and public safety, chosen by 13% of respondents.

In the “news you can use” category, the topics most followed by this group are: 

• Information on traffic, transportation, and weather, with 21% of Gen Z and Millennials selecting it as the topic they follow most often.
• Practical COVID-19 information, chosen by 20% as their most-often followed topic.
• Information related to health or mental health, most followed by 15% of Millennials and Gen Z. 

Further, to help news organizations attract and sustain Gen Z and Millennial news consumers, this report provides a detailed profile of those who follow these topics most often (for brevity, at times referred to as “close followers” of these topics), including demographic characteristics as well as consumer traits such as their likelihood of paying for news, sharing it, or engaging with it in other ways.

Key takeaways:

• The most popular topics are followed by a diverse mix of Gen Z and Millennials. Topics such as crime and public safety, information about COVID-19, health and mental health, and information on traffic, transportation and weather are closely followed among Gen Z and Millennials across age, gender, race and ethnicity, type of community, and education level. The audience for these topics resembles the overall demographic makeup of those ages 16 to 40, suggesting that broad audiences are possible for many of the beats newsrooms traditionally prioritize. 
• However, there are generational differences in the makeup of the audience for both national politics and social issues. The audience for national politics skews toward older Millennials, while the audience for news on social issues skews toward Gen Z. ²However, neither audience is dominated by one age group. Older Millennials account for 49% of those who follow national politics most often, with younger Millennials at 29% and Gen Z at 23%. In contrast, Gen Z account for 47% of those who most often follow social issues, with younger Millennials at 27% and older Millennials at 26%.
• The frequency with which Millennials and Gen Z follow these topics does differ in some cases by factors such as educational attainment. The difference is clearest when looking at those who most often follow crime and public safety. Eighty percent of those who say they follow crime and safety most often have no college degree, compared to the 67% of the overall population ages 16 to 40. 
• While Facebook remains the most-used social media platform for all six of the most-followed topics – three in the “news you can use” category and three in the “hard news” category – its predominance varies from topic to topic. As an example, about half (54%) of the people who report that crime and public safety is their most-followed topic rely on Facebook as their primary social media platform to learn about it, followed by 17% who use YouTube. In contrast, when it comes to people who most often follow news about national politics, Facebook’s dominance shrinks. For national politics, Facebook (25%) is rivaled by YouTube (23%) and Twitter (20%). TikTok, often associated with these generations, comes most into play for the groups closely following social issues (where 19% of close followers use it) and health or mental health (12%), though Facebook and other platforms still rank higher. 
• Local news media — including local TV stations and local newspapers — are key sources that Gen Z and Millennials use to get information about crime, COVID-19, and traffic and weather. Nearly half of those who most often follow crime and public safety get this news from local TV stations, and about 1 in 10 get it from local newspapers. Local TV is also the most-used traditional news source for those who most often follow news about traffic and weather (36%) and information about COVID-19 (22%). 
• Gen Z and Millennials who prefer some topics, like national politics, are more likely to pay for news than those who prefer other topics. Forty percent of Gen Z and Millennials who say national politics is the topic they follow most closely also pay for news, almost twice as many as those who most frequently follow social issues (22%) and crime and public safety (24%). Likewise, those who most often follow information on COVID-19 are more likely to pay for news than those who most often follow information on health or mental health and those who often follow traffic, transportation, and weather (40% vs. 27% and 24%, respectively).

About the study 

This is the latest study from the Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the American Press Institute and The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey conducted May 18 through June 8, 2022, examined the attitudes of 5,975 Americans ages 16 to 40. Data were collected using both probability and non-probability sample sources. The overall margin of sampling error for the combined sample is +/- 1.7 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. 

Download the entire report and questionnaire. 

Continue reading: How we explored the topics Gen Z and Millennials most closely follow

Chapter 2

How we explored the topics Gen Z and Millennials most closely follow

This Media Insight Project survey asked about 29 separate topics — 9 “lifestyle” topics, 9 “news you can use” topics, and 11 “hard news” topics — to figure out which topics Gen Z and Millennials followed, and where and how they get news and information on their most-followed topics. 

Overall, Americans ages 16 to 40 pay at least some attention to many topics. On average, they follow nine different topics in our list, often a mix of “lifestyle,” “news you can use,” and “hard news” topics. 

For the purposes of this study, we asked detailed follow-up questions about the “hard news” and “news you can use” topics Gen Z and Millennials say they follow most often. In setting aside “lifestyle” topics such as entertainment, our goal was to understand the news habits of this population when it comes to matters of civic importance. 

Gen Z and Millennials follow a variety of “hard news” and “news you can use” topics

The top three topics selected by Gen Z and Millennials that they follow most often among the “hard news” category are: national politics or government; social issues like abortion, gun policy, or LGBTQ issues; and crime and public safety.

The three most-followed topics in the “news you can use” category are: information on traffic, weather, or transportation; information related to COVID-19 such as the state of the pandemic, restrictions, or policies like mask mandates and vaccines; and information related to health and mental health. 

After identifying the topic they follow most closely in each of the two categories, respondents were asked how often they follow that specific topic, where they get information about that topic (including social media platforms and traditional news sources), and which social media platforms and traditional news sources they use most often for this information. 

The following sections go through the six most-followed topics identified previously. For each topic, we provide information about:

• Who follows each topic most often? ³
• How they get news about each topic, including:

1. 1. What social media platforms they use 
   2. What type of social media accounts they use 
   3. What traditional news sources they use 

We then looked at the news behavior of those who follow these topics most often, including:

1. What percent seek out news rather than bump into news
2. What percent pay for news
3. What percent share news with friends and family 
4. What percent comment on news online or in social media 

We compared the demographics of people who most frequently follow each topic with the overall demographic make-up of Gen Z and Millennials. In general, what we found suggests news organizations have an opportunity to attract broad audiences for the topics across age, gender, race and ethnicity, type of community, and education level. However, journalists and news organizations should note there are some differences. For example, some topics are more often followed by Gen Z than older Millennials or younger Millennials; some are more often followed by those with more education than those with less education. 

Understanding the differences will help news organizations strategize on how to expand the audiences for their beats and build “on-ramps” for loyal Gen Z and Millennial audiences overall. 

Continue reading: National politics or government

Chapter 3

— National politics or government

In terms of government and politics coverage, the Media Insight Project survey of Americans ages 16 to 40 provides some clues for news organizations looking to understand this constituency and their news habits. This section examines the demographics and news behavior of the 15% of Millennials and Gen Z who say they most closely follow national politics or government. 

Compared with the overall Gen Z and Millennial demographic make-up, the group that says national politics and government is their most frequently followed “hard news” topic skews somewhat demographically. The audience is older, whiter, more male, and more educated than the Millennial and Gen Z population overall. 

However, the audience is still diverse. For example, while those who follow this topic most often are more likely to be older Millennials; Gen Z and younger Millennials represent half of the topic’s close followers. And Gen Z and Millennials who follow national politics and government most closely are more likely to be white, but a quarter are Hispanic or Black.

Men are more likely than women to closely follow national politics or government; women make up just over a third of the topic’s close followers. 

About half of those who follow national politics and government closely have a college degree and half do not. 

Gen Z and Millennials who follow news on national politics closely are more likely to identify themselves as a Democrat or a Republican rather than an independent. 

Most Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow news about national politics do so daily regardless of their race, age, gender, and education, but there are some partisan differences

Among Gen Z and Millennials who follow news about national politics or government most often, 72% follow the topic at least daily. As one of the most-followed topics, it has a broad audience of daily followers — including majorities across generations, race and ethnicity, education, gender, and the type of community they live in. However, differences arise when it comes to party identification.

Gen Z and Millennials who identify as Democrats and follow news about national politics or government most often are more likely than Republicans or independents to follow news about national politics or government at least daily. 

Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are the most-used social media platforms for those closely following national politics or government

Facebook is still the predominant social media pathway for news overall and for some most-followed topics. But when it comes to getting news about national politics or government, there are three prominent platforms: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. About a quarter of Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow news about national politics or government consider at least one of the three platforms as their primary social media source for the topic.

About 10% of Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow national politics or government get news on it through either Reddit or Instagram; about half as many use TikTok. 

Close followers of national politics and government use a diversity of social media accounts to get information 

Overall, Gen Z and Millennials use a variety of social media accounts to get their information about national politics or government. Social media accounts from national TV networks and local TV stations and from individuals they do not know personally, including journalists, influencers, celebrities, or other social media users, are the most-used accounts for news on national politics among those who follow the topic closely. However, other popularly used social media accounts include those of national and international newspapers, online-only publishers, and local news organizations. 

National TV is the most-used traditional source of news on national politics or government for close followers of the topic; podcasts, online aggregators and newspapers also stand out as key sources

A quarter of Gen Z and Millennials who follow news on national politics and government most often use national TV to get that news, making it the most-used traditional source. Although national TV is also a source for other issues we examine in this report — particularly for information related to COVID-19 — national politics is the topic for which Gen Z and Millennials’ reliance on national TV is most evident.

Compared with the other topics, podcasts, online aggregators (such as Apple News or Google News), and newspapers stand out as important sources of information on national politics and government for those who follow news on national politics closely.

Continue reading: Social issues such as abortion, gun policy, and LGBTQ issues

Chapter 4

— Social issues such as abortion, gun policy, and LGBTQ issues

Because civic and community affairs are tied to how people view a range of social issues, the Media Insight Project survey of those ages 16 to 40 explores how closely people follow topics like abortion, gun policy, or LGTBQ issues that might appear on the national or local stage. About 15% of Millennials and Gen Z say they most closely follow news about social issues such as abortion, gun policy, or LGBTQ issues, and this section highlights their demographic makeup and news behavior. 

Gen Z and Democrats are key segments among those who most closely follow news about social issues

While the audience for social issues such as abortion, gun policy, and LGBTQ issues includes Gen Z and Millennials from a range of communities, races and ethnicities, and education levels, those who follow news on social issues most often are more likely to be women, belong to the Gen Z generation, and identify as Democrats.

Those who most often follow news on social issues are more likely to be Gen Z than Millennials, which is significantly different from those who most closely follow national politics which skews toward older Millennials. Still, about half of those who most closely follow news about social issues are Millennials.

Americans ages 16 to 40 who most closely follow news on social issues are more likely to identify as a Democrat than a Republican or an independent. Nearly 4 in 10 who follow social issues most often are independents or Republicans.

Women are also more likely than men to follow social issues, as two-thirds of women most often follow social issues compared with a third of men. 

Half of Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow news about social issues do so at least daily, but those living in urban areas are more likely than those who live in rural settings to follow these topics as often

Among Gen Z and Millennials who follow news about social issues most often, 48% follow the topic at least daily. This is consistent across generations, race and ethnicity, party affiliation, education, and gender.

However, regional differences do arise. Gen Z and Millennials who most follow this topic and live in urban areas are more likely to consume news about social issues at least daily compared with those who live in rural settings (55% vs. 43%). ⁴

Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow news on social issues at least daily are more likely to identify as a Democrat than a Republican (51% vs. 41%).

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are the social media most used by close followers of news about social issues

Gen Z and Millennials who follow social issues most often turn to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. About 1 in 4 use Facebook to get news on social issues, and about 1 in 5 use TikTok or Instagram as their main social media source for the topic. 

YouTube and Twitter are next, with about 1 in 10 of those who follow social issues closely using each of them as their primary social media platform to get news about social issues. 

Individuals, influencers, and affinity publications are the main social media accounts used by close followers of news about social issues

Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow social issues use a variety of social media accounts to get information about the topic, from individuals they do and do not know personally, for example, or from the accounts of traditional news outlets. Accounts of individuals or influencers that they do not know personally are the most-common source for news about social issues, followed by publications that focus on specific populations. Accounts from individuals that they do know personally, online-only publishers, national or international newspapers, and national TV networks are also commonly used to get news about social issues.

Search engines are the most commonly used traditional sources for news about social issues among those who closely follow social issues; national TV networks and word of mouth are also common

The top traditional media sources for Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow social issues are search engines. National TV networks and national or international newspapers are also common traditional sources. Notably, word of mouth is a more cited source for news about social issues compared with the other most-followed topics.

Continue reading: Crime and public safety

Chapter 5

— Crime and public safety

When Gen Z and Millennials closely monitor news about crime and public safety, where do they turn for that information and how? The Media Insight Project survey of Americans ages 16 to 40 outlines for news organizations the news habits for the 13% who most often follow this topic compared to other “hard news” topics we asked about. 

Crime and public safety is a popular news topic across Gen Z and Millennials

Overall, there are few demographic differences among Gen Z and Millennials who say news about crime and public safety is the topic they follow most often. 

The one exception is education. Gen Z and Millennials without a college degree are more likely than those with a college degree to list crime and public safety as the topic they follow most often, and those without a degree make up 80% of those who most often follow news about crime and public safety. 

Many Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow news about crime and public safety do so at least daily, though those without a college degree are more likely to follow this topic each day

Among Gen Z and Millennials who say crime and public safety is the “hard news” topic they follow most often, 59% report following news on the topic at least daily. This includes majorities across generations, race and ethnicity, geography, party affiliation, and gender. 

Some educational differences again arise. Of the people who say they follow crime and public safety most often, those without a college degree are more likely to follow it daily than those with a college degree (60% vs. 54%).

Among those who follow news on crime and public safety most often, Democrat Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to follow the topic at least daily than Republican Gen Z and Millennials (67% vs. 53%).

Among those who most closely follow crime and public safety, Facebook is the dominant social media platform for news on the topic

Of those who most often follow information on crime and public safety, Facebook is the clear top platform used by Gen Z and Millennials to get such information, with about half saying it is the platform where they most often get information related to this topic. Nearly 1 in 5 use YouTube for crime and public safety information, and less than 1 in 10 say the same for other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Reddit and TikTok. 

Local news organizations are the most commonly used social media accounts for those who closely follow crime and public safety

The local and variable nature of crime and public safety makes local news sources — including social media accounts from local news organizations and traditional local media — the most-cited accounts by Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow the topic. Local TV stations and local news organizations are the most-common accounts these generations use to get news about crime and public safety if they follow it often. Accounts from individuals or influencers are also popular for this topic.

Local TV stations are the predominant traditional media source for news about crime and public safety for those who closely follow the topic

Local TV stations are the predominant traditional source for news on crime and public safety; about half of Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow the topic report using them. While local TV stations are also widely used as sources for other topics like information on traffic and weather, crime and public safety is the topic where local TV stations are most prominent among frequent users. Further, local newspapers are also key sources, with about 1 in 10 Gen Z and Millennials who follow crime and public safety closely using these publications for news about it.

Continue reading: Information related to COVID-19 such as the state of the pandemic, restrictions, or policies like mask and vaccine mandates

Chapter 6

— Practical COVID-19 information

As the public navigated the COVID-19 pandemic from its onset in 2020, practical information related to COVID-19 played a central role in media coverage. The Media Insight Project survey offers a lens to see the demographic breakdown of Gen Z and Millennials who are most closely following this information in 2022, and in what ways. Twenty percent of those ages 16 to 40 say it is the “news you can use” topic they follow most closely. This section examines their news behaviors. 

Those most closely following news related to COVID-19 are widely diverse, but are more likely to identify as Democrats

Overall, Gen Z and Millennials who say information related to COVID-19 including the state of the pandemic, restrictions, or policies is the “news you can use” topic they follow most often are similar across ages, races and ethnicities, gender, education levels, and types of communities. 

However, Democrats are more likely than Republicans and independents to most often follow news about COVID-19 with six in 10 identifying as Democrats and about 4 in 10 as either Republicans or independents.

Many Gen Z and Millennials follow news about COVID-19 daily, but the frequency of consumption varies by age, geography, and education

Among those who say information related to COVID-19 is the “news you can use” topic they follow most often, 62% of Gen Z and Millennials reported following the news at least daily when the survey was conducted in May and June of 2022. However, there is significant variation among age, geography, and education when it comes to getting news at least daily about it.

Older Millennials who follow it most closely are more likely than both younger Millennials and Gen Z to consume information related to COVID-19 each day.

Geography is also a factor — Americans ages 16 to 40 living in urban and suburban areas are more likely to consume COVID-19 information daily compared with those living in rural regions.

There is also variation when it comes to education level, as college-educated Gen Z and Millennials who follow it most closely are more likely to consume news related to COVID-19 than those without a college degree.

Facebook is the most-used social platform by Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow COVID-19 information

Over a third of Gen Z and Millennials who say they most closely monitor COVID-19 information report using Facebook the most to get this news including information about mask mandates, vaccines, and guidelines. While Facebook is more than twice as popular as any other social media site for news about COVID-19, more than 1 in 10 each use YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram.

Close followers of information related to COVID-19 get it from many social media accounts

Gen Z and Millennials get COVID-19 information from many types of social media accounts. About a quarter of those who closely follow the topic use accounts from national TV networks, national or international newspapers, media organizations that cover a single topic, local TV stations, local news organizations, and individuals they do not know personally. There is a wider range of social media accounts used to get COVID-19 information than other topics and no single type of account dominates.

Local and national TV are the most commonly used traditional sources of information among close followers of COVID-19

When it comes to traditional news sources that Gen Z and Millennials most often turn to for COVID-19 information, local and national TV are the most common. While other popular topics see a predominance of either local or national TV, it is notable that both television sources top the list for COVID-19 information. Search engines and national newspapers are also frequently used sources for news about COVID-19 among those who closely follow it. 

Continue reading: Information related to health or mental health

Chapter 7

— Health or mental health

Research shows many Americans are facing increasing mental health and well-being challenges, and Gen Z and Millennials have been especially affected in recent years. ^{5 6}  These generations highlight social media, uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic, and their personal financial outlook as some of the main sources of stress. News stories often tackle the intertwined issues of health and mental health, too, such as in the case of the opioid epidemic or COVID-19 pandemic.

Who are the Gen Z and Millennials who are most following information related to health and mental health? This section of the Media Insight Project study looks at the 15% of 16- to 40-year-olds who say they most closely follow news about health or mental health. 

Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow news on health or mental health are diverse

Gen Z and Millennials who follow news related to health or mental health most often are demographically similar to Gen Z and Millennials overall. The only difference within those who most follow this topic is gender. Women make up nearly 6 in 10 of those who most often follow news about health or mental health.

Over half of Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow information related to health or mental health do so each day, though variation exists among generations, race and ethnicity, and geography

In all, 56% of Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow news on health and mental health get news on it at least daily. Yet the topic’s consumption varies by age, race and ethnicity, and geography. For instance, members of the Gen Z generation are less likely to consume information related to health or mental health daily than both older and younger Millennials. 

Race and ethnicity are also factors when it comes to daily consumption of health and mental health news. Black and Hispanic Gen Z and Millennials who follow the topic closely are slightly more likely than white Gen Z and Millennials in this group to consume health and mental health news each day.

As for geography, those who live in urban areas are more likely than those who live in suburban settings to follow this topic daily (64% vs. 50%). 

Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow information about health and mental health use a variety of social media platforms to get it

When it comes to the social platforms where Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow news on health and mental health look for information on the topic, Facebook and YouTube are the most popular. Many also use Instagram and TikTok to get news about health or mental health, similar to the rates among those who most closely follow social issues.

        

The social media accounts of individuals or influencers are the most commonly used by those who most often follow information about health or mental health

More than a third of Gen Z and Millennials who closely follow the topic of health or mental health most often get their information from the social media accounts of individuals not known to them personally. 

About 1 in 5 in this group also report receiving news about health and mental health from the social media accounts of publications that focus on specific populations or publications that focus on a single topic. Accounts of individuals that respondents know personally are also common sources for this information.

       

Search engines are the most common traditional source for close followers of health or mental health information; word of mouth is also predominant

When it comes to traditional media sources for information about health or mental health, Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow the topic most commonly use search engines. However, more rely on word of mouth for information about health or mental health compared with other popular topics. Podcasts also stand out as a key source for this topic. 

Continue reading: Information on traffic, weather, or transportation

Chapter 8

— Traffic, weather, or transportation

News organizations, especially local ones, can play an important role in how people learn about tangible and everyday experiences in their community, whether that’s the weather forecast and local climate trends, traffic conditions, or if there are any problems with public transportation. 

Who are the Americans ages 16 to 40 who are most closely following information on traffic, weather, or transportation, and how are they encountering it? Our Media Insight Project survey provides a landscape view of the 21% of Millennials and Gen Z who say they most closely follow information on traffic, weather, or transportation.

There is interest in information on traffic, weather, or transportation across Gen Z and Millennials regardless of age, gender, party identification, education, or community

There are no significant demographic differences among those who most often follow news and information on traffic, weather, or transportation. Gen Z and Millennials who say traffic, weather, or transportation is the “news you can use” topic they follow most often are like the overall Gen Z and Millennial distribution. In other words, there is no one segment within Gen Z or Millennials who drive interest in the topic. 

Many Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow information related to traffic, weather, or transportation do so daily, though the frequency of consumption varies by age

Twenty-one percent of Gen Z and Millennials say information on traffic, weather, or transportation is the “news you can use” topic they follow most often, and among these, 77% do so at least daily. Majorities across race and ethnicity, geography, political identification, education, and gender report following this topic daily. 

However, there is slight variation among the generations — older Millennials are more likely to watch, read, or see news about traffic, weather, or transportation each day compared with Gen Z. 

Half of those who closely follow traffic, weather, or transportation information get news on it from Facebook

About half of Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow information about traffic, weather, or transportation use Facebook to get it, making it the leading social media platform for this topic. 

YouTube and Twitter are the next most-popular platforms with about 1 in 10 Gen Z and Millennials using each for news about traffic, weather, or transportation.

Accounts from local TV stations and news organizations are the most sought out by close followers of weather, traffic, or transportation

Like the crime and public safety topic, social media accounts of local news organizations and TV stations are the most-common sources for Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow information about traffic, weather, or transportation. About 1 in 10 also get this information from the social media accounts of national or local radio stations or media organizations that focus on a single topic, such as The Weather Channel.

Local TV is the predominant traditional source used for those closely following information about weather, traffic, or transportation

Traffic and weather are broadly local issues, and local TV dominates as the most popular traditional source for such news. Over a third of Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow news on traffic and weather get it from local TV stations, making it twice as popular as any other source. About 1 in 5 use search engines for this information while 1 in 10 use online aggregators, national TV, or radio stations. Only 3% report using local newspapers for information on weather, traffic, or transportation. 

Continue reading: How the news topics Gen Z and Millennials follow relate to paying for and engaging with news

Chapter 9

How topics followed relate to paying for and engaging with news

Our Media Insight Project survey of Americans ages 16 to 40 looked not only at the topics this population often follows, but also other news behaviors such as paying for or donating to news, and whether they share or comment on the media they see.

As more publishers court subscriptions and donations from wider audiences, they may find it helpful to understand the relationship between the topics people closely follow and how they pay for or engage with news. Publishers may be able to develop different strategies and messages for moving Gen Z and Millennials “down the audience funnel” based on tendencies for different news followers to pay or share news. 

Gen Z and Millennials who follow certain topics closely are more likely to share, comment on, and pay for news

The way Gen Z and Millennials pay for, share, comment or engage with news online varies depending on the topic they follow the most. Overall, 28% of Gen Z and Millennials pay for print or digital magazines, print or digital newspapers, or digital news apps. Gen Z and Millennials who say they most closely follow news on national politics or information related to COVID-19 are more likely to pay for these products. 

Overall, 38% of Gen Z and Millennials actively seek out news. Those who follow closely information on national politics or COVID-19 are more likely to actively seek out news.

Gen Z and Millennials who most often follow information on COVID-19 are more likely than those who most closely follow other “news you can use” topics to share and engage with the news with friends and family. There is no difference among those who most closely follow the “hard news” topics we studied, or the overall Gen Z and Millennial populations. 

       

Twenty-seven percent of Gen Z and Millennials comment or share news on their own social media or comment on news media platforms or accounts. Those who most closely follow information about COVID-19 are more likely to engage with news through social media or news organizations’ platforms than Gen Z and Millennials who most closely follow other topics we include in this report and Gen Z and Millennials overall.

Continue reading: Study methodology

Chapter 10

Study methodology

This survey was conducted by the Media Insight Project, an initiative of the American Press Institute (API) and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey was funded by API. Staff from API, NORC at the University of Chicago, and AP collaborated on all aspects of the study.

Data were collected using both probability and non-probability sample sources. Interviews for this survey were conducted from May 18 through June 8, 2022, with people ages 16 to 40 representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The probability sample source is the AmeriSpeak® Panel, NORC’s probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. During the initial recruitment phase of the panel, randomly selected U.S. households were sampled with a known, nonzero probability of selection from the NORC National Sample Frame and then contacted by U.S. mail, email, telephone, and field interviewers (face-to-face). The panel provides sample coverage of approximately 97 percent of the U.S. household population. Those excluded from the sample include people with P.O. box-only addresses, some addresses not listed in the USPS Delivery Sequence File, and some newly constructed dwellings. 

Adult panel members ages 18 to 40 were randomly drawn from AmeriSpeak, and 1,947 completed the survey – 1,941 via the web and 6 via telephone. Teen panel members ages 16 to 17 were drawn from AmeriSpeak Teen, and 202 completed the survey – 200 via the web and 2 via telephone. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish, depending on respondent preference. Respondents were offered a small monetary incentive ($3) for completing the survey. The final stage completion rate is 24 percent, the weighted household panel response rate is 24 percent, and the weighted household panel retention rate is 77.4 percent, for a cumulative response rate of 3.5 percent. 

Lucid provided 3,826 non-probability interviews with people ages 16 to 40. The non-probability sample was derived based on quotas related to age, race and ethnicity, gender, and education. Interviews were conducted in English and via the web only. For panel recruitment, Lucid uses invitations of all types including email invitations, phone alerts, banners, and messaging on panel community sites to include people with a diversity of motivations to take part in research. Because non-probability panels do not start with a frame where there is known probability of selection, standard measures of sampling error and response rates cannot be calculated.

Quality assurance checks were conducted to ensure data quality. In total, 237 interviews were removed for nonresponse to at least 50% of the questions asked of them, for completing the survey in less than one-third the median interview time for the full sample, or for straight-lining all grid questions asked of them. These interviews were excluded from the data file prior to weighting.

Once the sample has been selected and fielded, and all the study data have been collected and made final, a raking process is used to adjust for any survey nonresponse in the probability sample, as well as any noncoverage or under and oversampling in both probability and non-probability samples resulting from the study specific sample design. Raking variables for both the probability and nonprobability samples included age by gender, age by Census region, age by race/ethnicity, and age by education. Population control totals for the raking variables were obtained from the 2021 Current Population Survey. The weighted data reflect the U.S. population of people ages 16 to 40. 

To incorporate the nonprobability sample, NORC used TrueNorth calibration, an innovative hybrid calibration approach developed at NORC based on small area estimation methods in order to explicitly account for potential bias associated with the nonprobability sample. The purpose of TrueNorth calibration is to adjust the weights for the nonprobability sample to bring weighted distributions of the nonprobability sample in line with the population distribution for characteristics correlated with the survey variables. Such calibration adjustments help to reduce potential bias, yielding more accurate population estimates. 

The weighted AmeriSpeak sample and the calibrated nonprobability sample were used to develop a small area model to support domain-level estimates, where the domains were defined by race/ethnicity, age, and gender. The dependent variables for the models were: 

• Q1: In a typical day about how many hours do you spend online?
• Q24A: How concerned are you about each of the following? I have spread misinformation, even unintentionally
• Q18. Choose the statement that best describes you, even if it is not exactly right. In general, I actively seek out news and information or I mostly bump into news and information as I do other things or hear about it from others
• Q27B: As far as the people running these institutions are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them? Local news media

These were found to be key survey variables, in terms of model fit. The model included covariates, domain-level random effects, and sampling errors. The covariates were external data available from other national surveys such as health insurance, internet access, voting behavior, and housing type from the American Community Survey (ACS) or the Current Population Survey (CPS). 

Finally, the combined AmeriSpeak and nonprobability sample weights were derived such that for the combined sample, the weighted estimate reproduced the small domain estimates (derived using the small area model) for key survey variables. 

The overall margin of sampling error for the combined sample is +/- 1.7 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. The margin of sampling error may be higher for subgroups. 

Sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error and there may be other unmeasured error in this or any other survey.

Complete questions and results are available at www.mediainsight.org. 

Additional information on the TrueNorth approach can be found here: https://amerispeak.norc.org/our-capabilities/Pages/TrueNorth.aspx. 

Details about the Media Insight Project can be found at: www.mediainsight.org. 

For more information, please email info@apnorc.org. 

Contributing researchers

From NORC at the University of Chicago 

David Sterrett
Mariana Meza Hernandez
Betsy Broaddus
Tom Rosenstiel
Jennifer Benz
Lindsey Witt-Swanson

From The Associated Press

Emily Swanson
Hannah Fingerhut

From The American Press Institute

Michael D. Bolden
Kevin Loker
Susan Benkelman

About the Media Insight Project

The Media Insight Project is a collaboration between the American Press Institute and The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research with the objective of conducting high-quality, innovative research meant to inform the news industry and the public about various important issues facing journalism and the news business. The Media Insight Project brings together the expertise of both organizations and their respective partners, and involves collaborations among key staff at the American Press Institute, NORC at the University of Chicago, and The Associated Press.

http://www.mediainsight.org/

About the American Press Institute

The American Press Institute advances an innovative and sustainable news industry by helping publishers understand and engage audiences, grow revenue, improve public-service journalism, and succeed at organizational change. We believe that for democracies to thrive, people need accurate news and information about their communities, the problems of civil society and the debates over how to solve them. That requires an economically sustainable free press that reflects the diversity of American society and understands the needs of its communities. API is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization affiliated with the News Media Alliance.

About the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research 

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research taps into the power of social science research and the highest-quality journalism to bring key information to people across the nation and throughout the world. 

• The Associated Press (AP) is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. www.ap.org 
• NORC at the University of Chicago is one of the oldest objective and nonpartisan research institutions in the world. www.norc.org 

The two organizations have established The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research to conduct, analyze, and distribute social science research in the public interest on newsworthy topics, and to use the power of journalism to tell the stories that research reveals. In its 10 years, The AP-NORC Center has conducted more than 250 studies exploring the critical issues facing the public, covering topics like health care, the economy, COVID-19, trust in media, and more. Learn more at www.apnorc.org.