• Instant messaging and face-to-face conversations are the most widespread forms of participation among Spaniards.

• Interest in current affairs and the use of social networks for information, key to more active and participatory citizenship

survey data on how Spaniards engage with information reveals significant trends in the way news is shared, commented on and debated. Among the results, two contrasting phenomena stand out: on the one hand, the growing popularity of private messaging (23%) and face-to-face conversations (36%); on the other, a drop B most active forms of participation, such as commenting or voting online.

Firstly, it is striking how news is shared. Today, approximately one in three Spaniards share news content on a regular basis. But more than ever, instant messaging, particularly WhatsApp, has become the preferred channel (23%) of the total. In contrast, open social networks, such as Facebook or X, are losing weight (14%) while email is now residual (5%). This trend is intensifying among young people under 34, who find it natural to send news via WhatsApp. However, those over 55 still prefer traditional, face-to-face conversation.

When it comes to commenting on news publicly, the picture is very different. Only 13% of Spaniards participate in digital debates, which represents a drop of four points compared to 2023. There is a clear gender gap here, with men showing a greater predisposition (17%) than women (10%) to actively participate in these spaces. Moreover, even young people, usually more inclined to debate in networks, now show less interest in these public spaces, reflecting a growing fatigue with polarization or a greater awareness of the risks of open discussion on the Internet.

This lower active involvement contrasts with an increase in passive participation. Around 35% of Spaniards say they regularly read comments on social networks or in digital media, although many of them choose not to intervene directly. Here, women are slightly more numerous (36%) than men (33%). In addition, it is those over 55 who read comments most frequently, possibly in search of alternative opinions or more in-depth analysis to complement the initial information.

When it comes to the habit of talking about news, contact staff continues to play a leading role. Forty-two percent of respondents say they regularly discuss news, either in person or via digital platforms. But despite the technological boom, face-to-face conversation still clearly dominates with 36%, especially among the over-45s, who find direct exchange a more natural way of relating to each other. Even so, young people are not abandoning physical contact altogether, although they prefer more frequent discussion in digital groups or social networks.

Finally, it is worth noting a disturbing phenomenon: overall participation in digital platforms is declining in intensity. Although a broad 75% of the population participates in some way, the trend since 2023 sample a clear decline in traditionally popular activities, such as voting in polls (currently only 9%) or clicking "like" on news (16%). This points to a possible information saturation or a growing disenchantment with superficial interaction. In addition, the percentage of Spaniards who do not participate at all has increased significantly, reaching one out of every four citizens, a worrying figure for media outlets that are constantly seeking to increase audience engagement.

All these changes show a shift in the subject of conversations towards more private spaces and away from the public exhibition in social networks and media. It also seems evident that there is less opinion and more observation, and people prefer to be spectators rather than protagonists of the digital discussion . In addition, clear generational and gender divisions persist: men and young people remain the main digital interlocutors, while women and older people opt for more discreet and reflective positions.

The importance of news interest and the use of social networks

Apart from sociodemographic differences, the data analysissample that staff interest in information continues to be the main driver of news engagement, while social networks play an enhancing role by significantly increasing participatory activities, such as sharing or commenting on news.

Regarding interest in the news, there is a strong correlation between the Degree of interest and the level of participation. Those extremely interested in news participate almost unanimously (87%), while among those who show little or no interest, participation drops considerably to 39%. This trend is replicated when analyzing specific forms of participation: those who are very interested talk about news at a rate of 48%, read comments at 42%, and 24% are even encouraged to comment on news items. On the other hand, those who are less interested show remarkably low levels: barely 16% talk about news and only 6% comment on them, while the proportion who do not participate at all rises to 61%.

On the other hand, the informative use of social networks also clearly influences how people interact with the news. Those who use social networks as the main way to get information show the highest overall participation rate (91%), compared to 68% of those who do not use these platforms for this purpose This group that mainly uses the networks also stands out for sharing news (50%) and talking about it (58%). In contrast, those who do not use social networks as their main source are less active, being more frequent among them not to participate at all (32%).

International comparison

At the global level, news participation shows notable differences between countries and regions. Africa clearly stands out as the region with the highest levels of citizen involvement in interacting with the news, especially in countries such as South Africa (89%), Kenya and Nigeria (both with 87%). Latin America also sample high figures, led by Peru (86%) and Mexico (82%). At the other extreme, the lowest participation figures are found in Asia Pacific countries such as Japan (49%) and in Western Europe, particularly the Netherlands (58%).

Spain, located in Southern Europe, sample a participation level of 75%, a relatively high figure in the European context and in line with the global average (75%). Compared to the surrounding countries in Southern Europe, Spain is slightly behind Turkey (80%) and Greece (79%) and ahead of Portugal (74%) and Italy (71%).