• The majority (68%) do not currently pay for any news subject , either print or digital. Only 10% report having paid for digital information in the past year.

• Most Spaniards do not respond to the incentives of co-payment, additional services or more flexible payment methods.

The willingness to pay for digital news in Spain remains relatively leave overall, with only around 10% of adults reporting having purchased digital news in 2025. However, there are specific segments, such as young adults (25-34 years old), users highly interested in politics and local news, as well as those with higher media literacy, who show greater willingness to pay. The emergence and popularization of emerging formats such as podcasts and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence also suggest a core topic opportunity to develop information strategies that can increase the proportion of users who pay for digital news in the future.

By age, there are notable differences and contrasting trends. In 2020, young adults (18-24 years old) clearly led in digital news payments, at 21%, well above the overall average (12%). However, by 2025, this figure has dropped to 11%, possibly indicating a shift in priorities or a growing resistance to digital payment in this generation. On the other hand, the 25-34 age group sample a different evolution, and has grown by two points to 20% in 2025, making it the group most willing to pay.

Other age groups show more stable or slightly decreasing figures. The 35-44 age group went from 15% in 2020 to 11% in 2025, while those over 45 remained consistently below the overall average.

A more detailed analysis of the profiles of respondents who reported having paid for digital news shows that those users with a high interest in news (15%) and politics (18%) show a greater willingness to pay for digital content compared to those with lower interests (5% and 4%, respectively). Similarly, users with high interest in local news (14%) and those who attach a lot of political relevance to journalism (20%) have higher digital payment fees . This indicates that payment for digital news is closely linked to the Degree of interest and the perception of added value that political or local information has for these users.

Moreover, it is particularly significant that users who are more media literate pay more frequently (27%) compared to those who are less literate (7%), suggesting that media Education and the critical ability to evaluate information can significantly boost the willingness to finance digital information content.

In terms of preferred information sources, users who pay for digital content mainly use specialized or native digital sources (16%) and the digital editions of consolidated journalistic brands (14%). Payment also particularly stands out among those who get information through new formats such as podcasts (29%) or chatbots with artificial intelligence (24%). These figures indicate that users who are more advanced in their information and technological consumption are also more willing to pay and are looking for quality, exclusivity or a differentiated Username experience.

It's interest, not trust

The data on payment for digital news in Spain according to the combination of trust and interest in news offer a very clear view of how these variables influence the Username 's decision on whether or not to pay for digital content. First, it highlights that users who combine high trust and high interest in news are clearly the most likely to pay for digital content. In this group, 17% have made digital payments. While this figure may seem modest, it is considerably higher than in any other segment analyzed. This indicates that a positive perception of the quality of information, coupled with a genuine interest in being informed, is the main driver of digital payments in Spain.

In contrast, those who express leave confidence and low interest in news show a clear resistance to digital payment. In this group, only 6% have paid for digital content, while 91% have not. This data is particularly revealing, since it indicates that when there is a simultaneous disconnect in terms of both interest and trust, the willingness to pay for digital information is drastically reduced. The trend is also very marked among those users with high trust but low interest in news, a group in which only 5% declared having paid digitally for information content, this being the segment least willing to pay among all those analyzed.

Finally, the segment with leave trust but high interest sample a somewhat higher proportion of payment (14%). This group presents a particular status : although they do not fully trust the news, their interest in being informed is strong enough to drive some level of payment. Here there could be an active search for sources considered more credible or of better quality, which justifies payment, even if the general distrust in the news ecosystem persists.

Payment for news and information evasion: an ambivalent relationship

According to the figures, 21% of people who have paid for news in the last year often avoid news, compared to only 10% of those who have not paid. This difference, which doubles the percentage, raises a core topic question: why would anyone pay for something they then try to avoid?

One possible explanation is that paying does not guarantee satisfaction. Some people might subscribe for a one-time interest or a specific event, but then feel overloaded or disappointed with the content. Instead of building loyalty, payment might even increase information fatigue. Interestingly, those who are very interested in current affairs - so much so that they pay for it - may end up more exposed to information fatigue and need to disconnect.

On the other hand, non-payers tend to have a more intermittent relationship with the news. Thirty-eight percent avoid the news occasionally and 27% do so sometimes. This patron saint suggests a more flexible consumption, without the pressure of having invested financially. These are informal readers who choose when and how to expose themselves to information, depending on the time or channel available.

Payment and perception of the democratic role of the media

Forty-seven percent of respondents who recognize some usefulness of the media in fulfilling their role have paid for digital news, compared to 56% who have not. On the other hand, almost 40% of those who consider that the contribution to democratic participation is important have accessed online news content. For respondents who believe that the media do not encourage civic engagement, the percentage of individuals who do not pay for news (19%) exceeds by nine percentage points those who do (10%).

Pay-for-news and attitude towards artificial intelligence-based news

The data show that those with more favorable attitudes toward human news and more wary of automated news tend to pay more (39%) than those with more favorable attitudes toward automation (26%), demonstrating that the human component is still perceived as more valuable by those who show some willingness to pay for news.

Evolution of the subject of users according to payment (2014 - 2025)

This year's data shows that almost seven out of ten Spaniards (68%) do not currently pay for any news subject , either print or digital. Over the last decade this group has grown steadily and now represents the overwhelming majority of the population. At the opposite extreme, only 5% of users maintain the combined habit of paying for both formats, while a testimonial 6% do so exclusively for digital content. Despite growing six-fold since 2014, their growth has failed to offset the collapse of print-only newspaper sales, which fell from 48% in 2014 to 13% in 2025. Worse still: after peaking in 2021 (5%), this segment sample signs of stagnation.

Subscriptions continue to be the main payment modality

In 2025, subscriptions will continue to be the main means of access to paid digital content in Spain. Among users who have paid for some subject of digital information service, paid subscriptions, which include both regular and joint subscriptions with the printed press, represent 60% of the total. Within this group, the most widespread model is the regular subscription, exclusively digital, chosen by 38% of payers. In second place comes the joint subscription - combining digital and print access - with 22%, a formula that, although very popular in previous years, sample a clear trend to leave in 2025.

In addition to paid subscriptions, a significant proportion of users access content through gift subscriptions, either as part of promotions, on loan from family members or included in shared packages. This group reaches 18% of users. If we add up all subscription models -paid and gift subscriptions-, 78% of those paying for digital news in 2025 will do so through some form of subscription, which consolidates this model as the preferred option for financing access to information in the digital environment.

Beyond the universe of subscriptions, there are other models that continue to occupy a relevant, albeit smaller, space. One of these is payment per unit or issue, a formula that allows payment only for specific articles or editions. In 2025, this modality represents 17% of payers, a figure practically identical to that recorded in 2024, and very close to that of previous years. Since 2020, this format has fluctuated between 17% and 19%, indicating that, although it has not grown, it maintains a stable base of users interested in one-off, flexible consumption.

Another format is free access to information content as part of the contracting of other services. This modality -for example, when a subscription to a digital platform includes access to a media outlet- reaches 27% of users in 2025. Although this is a considerable figure, it is below the levels of 2020 (36%) and 2021 (31%), which suggests that this subject of integration is losing weight or is no longer perceived as a differential access route.

Finally, donations, understood as a voluntary contribution to the media by users, have experienced an irregular evolution. In 2020 they accounted for 16% of digital payments, dropped to 9% in 2022, and recovered some prominence in the following two years (15% in 2023 and 16% in 2024). In 2025, however, they fall back to 13%. This modality, although a minority, reflects the commitment of part of the public to models of direct support for independent journalism, although it has not been able to consolidate itself as a solid source of income.

Little incentive to pay for news

data on the possible motivations for paying for digital news among those who currently do not do so confirm one of the biggest challenges facing the news ecosystem in Spain: the lack of interest in payment models remains overwhelming. In 2025, 73% of those who have not paid for news in the last year state that none of the options put forward (co-payment, additional services or more flexible payment modalities) would encourage them to do so. This figure is significantly higher than the average for all the countries analyzed (66%), which places Spain among the contexts with the greatest skepticism towards the monetization of digital content.

The formulas that could encourage payment obtain, in all cases, very modest support. Only 11% of non-payers would be willing to consider paying if joint access to several news sites were offered for a reasonable price, a sort of flat news rate that grouped together content from different media (national and local, or national and international). This figure, moreover, is below the international average (15%), which indicates that, in Spain, not even the proposal concentration or aggregation of media seems to arouse significant interest.

The same percentage (11%) said they would be willing to pay if additional services were offered along with the news, such as video games, cooking recipes or e-books. The idea of enriching the offer with complementary products, therefore, also fails to generate a significant attraction in aggregate terms.

Slightly lower still is the percentage of those favoring more flexible payment models: only 6% would be more motivated if they could pay for a week's access or a single article, rather than a monthly or annual subscription. This is particularly striking, as it partly contradicts the usual narrative about the supposed demand for more modular and affordable models. The difference with the international average (-4 points) sample that in Spain this subject strategy would have a limited margin of impact.

The differences by sex are slight, although consistent with certain previous consumption patterns: men are slightly more willing than women to pay in the event of a change in conditions. For example, 13% of men consider a joint payment of several media to be attractive, compared to 9% of women. They are also slightly more receptive to additional services (11% vs. 10%) and flexible payment (8% vs. 4%). However, in both cases, the majority reject any incentive: 70% of men and 75% of women would not be motivated by any of the proposed options.

More significant are the generational differences. In the younger age brackets, the figures for openness to payment are notably higher. Among 18 to 24 year olds, 25% would consider paying if they had joint access to several means of payment, 22% are in favor of the offer of additional services, and 11% sample in favor of flexible payment. The number of those who are not motivated by any option leave this group at 59%.

In the 25-34 age bracket, the percentages are similar, with 20% attracted by additional services and 8% by more flexible payments. Here, too, there is a lower level of refusal to pay (55%). However, from the age of 35 onwards, the willingness to pay decreases drastically. In the 45+ age group, more than 70% reject all possible incentives, and in the older age group (65+), the rejection rate is 83% and only 6% sample minimally receptive to the co-payment model .

These data draw a clear conclusion: the problem of payment does not lie only in the price or in the format of the offers. It is a deeper issue, linked to the perception of information value, to the digital culture of the Username and, above all, to habit. Among the youngest, there is still room to experiment with more personalized, combined or flexible models. However, among the majority of the population, especially the older ones, the barrier is structural: they simply do not consider that digital information is worth an economic outlay, beyond the free one to which they are accustomed.

International comparison

The comparative analysis of payment for digital news in 2025, based on data available for 42 countries, provides a clear view of the uneven implementation of news monetization models around the world. Globally, the average number of Internet users who have paid to access digital news content in the last year stands at 15%. This figure sums up well the state of an industry in which the majority of users continue to access news without paying for it, but where some countries and regions stand out as exceptions. Northern Europe and some Asia-Pacific countries are the only areas where the digital subscription model has taken hold. In the rest of the world, the vast majority of users continue to consume information without paying for it.

In particular, the country with the highest rate of payment is Norway (42%). This is a society in which digital subscription has become normalized as a means of accessing information, probably thanks to a combination of strong public media, high levels of media literacy and a solid and diversified private offer. Sweden ranks second (31%), followed at some distance by Finland (21%), Ireland (20%) and Denmark (19%).

The Asia-Pacific region also has several countries above average, with outstanding figures in Hong Kong (22%) and Australia (22%), followed by South Korea (19%), Malaysia and Indonesia (18%). In this area, moreover, payment is distributed fairly evenly around values ranging from 15% to 22%. Japan, however, appears with a rate of only 10%, in line with countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan.

In Latin America, payment levels are slightly lower, although they show some diversity. Peru (18%) and Brazil (17%) lead the region, while Mexico and Colombia stand at 14%, and Argentina and Chile at 11% and 10%, respectively. Overall, the average for the region is lower than the global average, but sample signs of growth.

In Western Europe, the picture is more fragmented. Switzerland (22%) and Austria (21%) have figures comparable to the leading Asia-Pacific countries. The Netherlands (17%) and Belgium (16%) are also above average. On the other hand, Germany (13%) and France (11%) show a greater reluctance, similar to the situation in Southern European countries. In Eastern Europe, the figures are also modest. Countries such as the Czech Republic (13%), Poland (13%) and Slovakia (12%) are barely close to the global average , and others such as Hungary (8%), Serbia (7%) and Croatia (6%) are significantly below.

Spain's position on this global map is clearly modest. Only 10% of users report having paid for digital news in the last year. This figure places Spain below the world average (15%) and in line with other southern European countries such as Portugal (10%), Italy (9%), Bulgaria (9%) and Greece (7%). In other words, in Mediterranean Europe, the willingness to pay for digital information content remains leave, even within the European context.

Finally, in North America, data are in an intermediate position. In the United States, 20% of users have paid for digital news, which is clearly above average. In Canada, however, the figure leave to 14%.

The decline of print media

The relationship of Spaniards with the paper newspaper has changed drastically in the last decade. What was once a daily habit for the majority has now become a minority internship . The data show a sustained and unstoppable drop in the purchase of printed newspapers, with a decline from 57% in 2014 to 22% in 2025.

The last five years have been particularly stable and since 2021, the percentage of Spaniards who report having bought a printed newspaper the week before the survey was conducted has stagnated without showing signs of recovery and three out of four respondents (76%) no longer purchase newspapers in physical format, even occasionally.

data on print newspaper purchasing habits reveal a reality stratified by age and gender, where traditional consumption niches persist in the midst of a generalized decline.

The over-65s emerge as the last bastions of the print press, with 25% buying a copy, followed by adults aged 25-34 (34%), in a surprising figure that suggests a certain one-off interest. At the other extreme, only 15% of those over 55 and 24% of young people under 25 bought newspapers.

The traditional newsstand remains the main channel (13%), especially among men (16%) and the over-65s (19%). However, young people under 24 years of age prefer to receive their newspapers at home (9%) compared to 6% who buy them at the newsstand.

Men (28%) almost double women (17%) in paid press consumption, a gap that holds across all age groups. This historical difference seems to hold even in the format's declining phase, and suggests that traditional news consumption patterns continue to be gendered.