Interest in the news is growing, and the media maintain a level of credibility far superior to that of social media and artificial intelligence

The Digital News Report Spain 2026 offers a more positive assessment this year than in recent years. After a decade of declining interest, loss of trust, and increasing intermediation of consumption by digital platforms, 2026 shows some signs of stabilization and, in some core topic indicators, improvement. The report, prepared by researchers from the School of Communication at the University of Navarra, portrays a complex market marked by fragmentation and mistrust, but also by the persistence of professional journalism as reference letter compared to other players in the digital landscape. 

Interest in the news has risen for the first time in four years, reaching 54%

One of the data encouraging data in report the resurgence of interest in the news. Fifty-four percent of Spaniards say they are very or extremely interested in current events—three percentage points higher than in 2025 and the highest figure in the last four years. The improvement is nearly universal: it is growing particularly among those over 65 and in the group to 44-year-old group , both with increases of seven points, but also among those under 35. Spain has also risen from 16th to 7th place in news interest among the 48 countries analyzed. The cumulative decline since 2018 remains steep, and the age gap remains significant, but the trend, for the first time in a decade, is pointing upward.

Despite these findings, young people remain disengaged from traditional news media. They access news less frequently, show less interest and trust, and use sources that differ significantly from those of the general population, particularly audiovisual social media. Fifty-three percent of young people under the age of 25 express leave and leave interest in the news—the so-called “news-disengaged”—compared to 35% of the general population.

News brands are holding their ground in an increasingly algorithm-driven landscape

Access to news online is largely mediated by algorithms, particularly on social media and news aggregators, which are used by 60% of users to access information and serve as the primary gateway for nearly half of those who get their news online. In this context, news brands continue to hold a central position in Spaniards’ news consumption: 49% accessed information through them, and they are the primary news source for 37% of respondents.

Consumer trust is shifting toward specific brands and away from platforms and artificial intelligence

Trust in the news has improved slightly this year, reaching 33%, two percentage points higher than in 2025. When asked about the credibility of the news they consume, the figure rises to 42%—well above the 19% who trust news from social media or AI chatbots and the 27% who trust search engine results. The average credibility average Spain’s leading news brands also rises by three points, to 45%. According to the researchers, although journalism is not currently enjoying a period of extraordinary trust, news organizations continue to enjoy, in comparative terms, the highest level of credibility among the public.

Content creators and influencers are gaining ground, but traditional media outlets retain their professional credentials

One of the new features of this year report is an analysis of the role of influencers and content creators as news sources. Forty percent of Spaniards have obtained news through these new media figures in the past week, a phenomenon particularly prevalent among young people. The audience perceives creators as more approachable, understandable, and entertaining than professional media outlets. However, they clearly rank them behind journalistic media in the attributes most closely linked to news quality standards: authenticity, knowledge the issues, reliability, and impartiality. 

According to researchers, the data that the new logic of news consumption is not one of substitution, but of complementarity: influencers attract, explain, and connect with their audiences, but rigor continues to be associated with professional journalism. In fact, when Spaniards pay for digital news, they do so almost exclusively to news organizations, not to content creators. 

Public media are rated higher than one might expect

Despite the climate of political polarization that often surrounds public media, the report a moderately favorable evaluation . Thirty-five percent of citizens believe that public media have a positive impact on the country, compared to 28% who view them negatively. Spain thus ranks in the middle of the European standings, far from the countries most critical of their public broadcasting. Citizens acknowledge its contribution to universal access to relevant news, reliable information, and democratic pluralism, although they also express serious criticism of political interference.

Concerns about misinformation underscore the context in which journalism operates

Not all the data positive. Seventy-four percent of Spaniards are concerned about distinguishing between what is true and what is false in online news, five percentage points more than in 2025 and twelve more than in 2022. This is the highest level in the entire series and reflects a concern that is spreading to segments where it was previously less intense. agreement the authors, this context reinforces the need for professional journalism. In an environment saturated with noise, where citizens fear they cannot distinguish truth from falsehood and where most access to information is determined by algorithms, news brands are the ones the public continues to identify as the most reliable, the most chosen when payment is required, and the ones that best embody the attributes associated with quality information.

The survey Digital News Report and the report Digital News Report Spain

The authors of report News report Spain 2026 and those responsible for interpreting this data researchers at the School of Communication the University of Navarra, which has been sponsor partner since the 2014 edition. The Digital News Report is a project Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, based on a survey by YouGov covering 48 markets.

The survey based on an online panel from which a sample than 2,000 people in Spain was drawn, representative of the adult population with internet access, based on various demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors. The work was conducted by YouGov through an survey carried out in early 2026.

report News report Spain 2026," which includes dozens of charts, is available for enquiry attribution. It was commissioned by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford and produced by researchers at the School of Communication the University of Navarra.