CANBERRA — The 2026 Digital News Report, led in Australia by University of Canberra professor Sora Park, found that 60% of surveyed Australians aged 18 to 24 have never used newspapers for news. This report tracks news consumption habits.

Additionally, 53% of Australians under 25 have never used radio for news, and 25% of this age group have never used television for news. The study also determined that 40% of Australian adults who previously used newspapers and radio for news no longer use those platforms.

News interest among Australians aged 18 to 24 increased by 12 percentage points from 2024, reaching 47%. Overall news interest in Australia has increased among women and young adults following previous periods of decline. Political interest among Australians under 35 has increased, with this demographic now reporting higher political interest than older groups.

Park stated, "While traditional sources such as TV remain important, digital pathways are becoming increasingly prominent." Park added, "Social media is now the second most widely used source of news, ahead of online news, while podcasts and AI chatbots continue to grow." Almost 10% of surveyed Australians use generative artificial intelligence tools to access news. Nearly half of surveyed Australian news consumers reported that public service broadcasting has a positive societal effect. However, 39% of right-wing Australians surveyed reported that public service broadcasting has a negative societal effect.

Among news sources, 57% of surveyed Australians identify television as their main source, while 56% identify social media, and 52% identify online news websites or apps. Furthermore, 48% of surveyed Australians aged 18 to 24 use TikTok for news. Trust in CNN decreased by 6 percentage points among those surveyed. The Australian study included a statistical sample of 2,025 people.