• Spain, leader in Europe in the dissemination of news through instant messaging such as WhatsApp or Telegram (30%).

• The reading of comments on social network news is growing significantly: from 24% in 2023 to 30% in 2024.

One of the great advantages of digital media is the possibility for citizens to participate in the public arena, reading other people's comments, sharing content, discussing current news, etc. Spain has traditionally been one of the countries with the highest percentage of participation. This year, 81% of Spaniards have engaged in some of the most common forms of participation (reading comments, sharing, talking and commenting on news), four percentage points more than in the 2023 edition. The average in the 47 countries included in report is 77%. 

As can be seen in the table above, Spaniards are characterized above all by talking about news, both face-to-face and through digital channels. Forty-six percent of those surveyed internship use this form of social participation. It is followed by sharing news (42%), reading comments referring to current affairs (40%) and finally, commenting on news in social networks or on informative websites (17%). 

 Apart from the overall figures, Spaniards stand out above all for chatting face-to-face about a news item with family, friends and acquaintances (39%). Only the Swedes (43%), Danes (40%), Kenyans (40%) and South Africans (39%) are more likely to participate in this way. The average for the 47 countries as a whole is 30%. 

Compared to last year's data , there are hardly any major differences in the forms of participation included in the survey. Spain continues to be one of the countries where news is most shared through instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram: 30% of respondents reported having done so in the week prior to the survey. It is the first European country in this social participation subject , well above the average of all the countries included in the report (21%). 

Finally, it is worth noting the B increase in the number of citizens who report having read news comments on social media posts, rising from 24% last year to 30% in 2024. 

In terms of sociodemographic differences, young people tend to participate much more than older groups. Thus, 87% of adults under 24 years of age take some subject action mentioned above, compared to 75% of those over 65 years of age. 

Among all the forms of social participation described above, data shows that talking to friends or family through digital channels (e-mail, messages, etc.) is much more widespread among younger groups (28% of those under 25 years of age do so) than among older ones (13% of those over 65 years of age). Contrary to what might be expected, there are no significant differences between age groups when talking face-to-face about current affairs with friends or family, and it is the most widespread form of participation among all age groups. Finally, reading comments written in digital newspapers and informative websites is more common among adults (29%) than among younger people (17%). 

GRAPH: TALKING ONLINE, FACE-TO-FACE AND READING COMMENTS IN DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS, BY AGE.