Online news consumption Great Britain 2007-2020| ��ƽ��

Share of individuals reading or downloading online news, newspapers or magazines in Great Britain from 2007 to 2020

Characteristic	Share of respondents
2020	70%
2019	66%
2018	69%
2017	64%
2016	60%
2015	62%
2014	55%
2013	55%
2012	47%
2011	42%
2010	39%
2009	39%
2008	34%
2007	20%

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Source

Release date

August 2020

More information

Region

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

Survey time period

2007 to 2020

Number of respondents

2,010*

Age group

16 years and older

Special properties

within the last 3 months

Method of interview

Face-to-face interview

Supplementary notes

* The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey is carried out by interviewing a nationally representative sample of households in Great Britain. About 1,800 households (2,010 as of 2019) are sampled each month and estimates are subject to sampling variability, as are those from all sample surveys.

More information on the methodology can be found .

Citation formats

There is no denying that the way people consume newspapers and magazines has changed. As of 2020, more than two thirds of individuals in Great Britain were either reading or downloading online news, newspapers or magazines. This was more than three times the share of online readers as compared to 2007. The share of UK online readers was higher than the European Union (EU 28) average. As of February 2019, BBC News online had the highest share of readers in the UK, with the Guardian and Mail Online coming in as second and third choice.

How do people like their news?

According to an Ofcom study, both television and the internet were more likely to be a source of news over newspapers across all UK countries. In fact, in Northern Ireland, individuals were more likely to receive news via word of mouth rather than through a physical newspaper or printed magazine.

Social media and news

In some European countries, approximately half of news consumers used Facebook as a source of news, while in the UK, it was approximately one quarter of news consumers. In the UK, Facebook was the leading social media network as a source for news, followed by Twitter and YouTube.