• The computer remains the second most used device for accessing news (57%) and the tablet remains with 35% of users.

• The distance between the rest of the devices and the mobile, which remains the most used device for accessing news (81%), has been reduced.

In the last year, there has been a generalized increase in the use of different devices, with notable increases in their fees usage. For example, the smartphone, which was already one of the most popular devices for accessing news, has seen a significant increase in its use, from 67% to 81%.

In general terms, there is a B difference between respondents' general use of devices and their use of those same devices to access news. In some cases, such as computer, tablet or smartwatch, the gap between use and use for news purposes reaches twenty percentage points.

If we compare the use of devices to consult news in Spain with the average of other European countries participating in the report, we can see that, in general, the use of devices in Spain is slightly higher. For example, in Spain, 81% of respondents use their smartphone to access news, while in the rest of Europe this figure is 76%. Similarly, in Spain, 35% use the tablet for this purpose, compared to 30% in the rest of Europe. This patron saint is repeated with the smart speaker (23% in Spain vs. 12% in Europe) and the smart watch (19% in Spain vs. 13% in Europe).

 
In addition, other devices such as the tablet (35%), smart speaker (23%) and smart watch (19%) have also seen significant increases in their use for accessing information. For example, the tablet has increased from 18% to 35%, the smart speaker from 8% to 23%, and the smart watch from 4% to 19%. However, the device that has seen the biggest rise B is the computer, with usage increasing significantly from 33% in 2023 to 57% in 2024. This increase represents a significant change in consumption trends, as it reverses a trend to leave that had been experienced in previous years.

This generalized increase in the use of devices is partly explained by the increase in the percentage of respondents who use more than one device for information. In 2024, there is a significant decrease in the issue of people using only one device, from 43% to 25%, implying that more users are resorting to multiple devices to access information.

Despite this increase in the use of different devices, the smartphone continues to be the most widely used device for accessing news, with 81% of respondents reporting its use. This data highlights the importance of the mobile device in people's daily lives and its central role as source of primary information.

Interest in news also plays a crucial role in device usage. Significant differences are observed between those with a high interest in news and those with a lower interest. For example, users with a high interest in news show higher usage of devices such as smartphone (88%), smart speaker (28%), computer (67%), tablet (44%) and smart watch (22%) compared to the overall usage of these devices by all respondents.

The analysis of the use of devices to consult news reveals significant differences according to the frequency with which users access digital information. Among those who consult the news several times a day, a greater use of devices for information is observed. This patron saint is repeated in all the devices analyzed by the DNR.

In the case of the smartphone, there are statistically significant differences in the use of this device between respondents who get information several times a day and the other two groups analyzed in Figure 4. 90% of the respondents in the first group group say that they use their cell phone for information, a percentage that drops to 79% and 76% among those who get information once a day or several times a week.

This group also leads in the use of the computer as a device for getting information, a difference that is once again statistically significant when compared with the use made by the two groups analyzed in this graph. While 67% of users who consult the news on multiple occasions say they use the computer to do so, only 55% of users who get information only once a day say they use this device, a percentage that drops even further, to 47% in the case of those who get information several times a week. The difference in computer use between the group most and least informed users is twenty percentage points.

For the remaining three devices, the differences between the groups are again statistically significant. In the case of smart speakers, 29% of those who report multiple times a day say they use them, a percentage that drops ten percentage points (to 19%) in the case of those who report only once a day and remains the same, at 19%, among those who report several times a week. Something similar happens with the smartwatch. Although there are statistically significant differences between the first group and the other two, the first is 23%, while among those who check the news once a day and on multiple occasions a week the percentage who say they use this device is the same, 16%.

On the tablet, the differences are also statistically significant, although on this occasion there are different percentages in the different groups. The first group, those who report several times a day, 42% say they use the tablet, 7 points more than the total sample. This percentage is significantly different from those who report only once a day and say they use the tablet (31%) and those who report several times a week (29%).

When looking at the use of devices by gender, a statistically significant difference is found between men and women. While 84% of men use mobile to access news, this percentage drops to 79% among women, five percentage points less. This disparity is also reflected in the use of other devices such as the computer (nineteen percentage points), tablet (five percentage points), smart speakers (eight percentage points) and smart watch (four percentage points). Overall, there is a statistically significant difference in men's and women's use of these devices.

On the other hand, when considering age groups, different behaviors are observed between those under and over 35 years of age. Unlike the analysis by gender, the significant difference in the use of devices is restricted to three of the five devices analyzed, since no statistically significant difference is observed in the use of smartphones and tablets by those under and over 35 years of age. In the case of the computer, those under 35 use the computer (62% vs. 56%), the smart speaker (29% vs. 21%) and the smart watch (25% vs. 17%) more than those over 35.

Age as a determining factor in the use of the device is observed with greater intensity in the smartwatch. Among those under 35 years of age, the use of this device for information is higher (25%) than among those over 35 years of age. This difference is influenced, above all, by the low use of the smartwatch by older respondents. If we analyze the survey, although the issue of respondents of the total of the sample who say they use this device for information is 19%, this percentage drops to 12% among older respondents. This percentage contrasts with the 27% of respondents between the ages of 25 and 34 who say they use this device as a news source .
 

METHODOLOGICAL CLARIFICATION

This year a methodological adjustment has been made to questions Q8A ("Which of the following devices do you ever use for any purpose? Select all that apply") and Q8B ("Which of the following devices have you used to check the news during the week? Select all that apply"). Unlike last year, respondents are now unable to continue to survey until they actually check one of the options. To avoid potential problems, in addition, the response options in both questions are now randomized.
This change has generated an increase in all responses, although it is grade most pronounced in the categories "Computer" (up from 33% in 2023 to 57% in 2024) and "Tablet" (up from 18% in 2023 to 35% in 2024). However, the increase is not limited to these two categories and is also noticeable in "Smartphone" (from 67% to 81%), "Smart Speaker" (from 8% to 23%) and "Smart Watch" (from 4% to 19%).

With this exception in mind, the results of the 2024 survey confirm the trends noted in last year's report regarding the use of various devices to access online news. The increase has narrowed the gap between some devices (particularly between the "Smartphone" and the rest of the competitors), but in others it remains the same.