• Compared to the international average, Spaniards are more consistent in issue times they check the news each day, the brands they choose, and the news topics they follow

• Age is the main distinguishing factor: people under 25 vary more in terms of schedules, locations, frequency of enquiry news sources than older people

Understanding news consumption habits provides insight into how the public engages with the news: whether they follow predictable routines or, conversely, adapt their behavior depending on the time and context. This year, the survey about the stability or variability of news consumption habits in relation to seven aspects: the times of day and the issue which news is checked, the locations from which it is accessed, the news sources used, the devices used, the topics of interest, and the activities performed while consuming news. For each of these dimensions, respondents could answer whether their habits remain the same every day, remain the same but may vary, or are different every day.

If we consider all the aspects covered in the survey, Spaniards’ news consumption falls somewhere between routine and a certain degree of flexibility. Thirty-five percent follow the same routine every day, and another 43% maintain stable habits, albeit with occasional variations. In contrast, a minority (17%) report that their news consumption patterns change from one day to the next.

The stability of news-consumption habits depends heavily on subject in question. The most practical aspects of news consumption—such as the subject device used, the location from which news is accessed, and the news outlets consulted—are the most stable. Half of those surveyed say they do not change the device they use to access news on a daily basis, while 38% maintain consistency in both the locations where they consume news and the news brands they use. These routines become less consistent when analyzing practices such as the daily frequency of enquiry (29% remain unchanged) or the time of day when they do so (28%). These are the two areas where the most citizens report daily changes: 22% in frequency and 25% in the time of day they consume news. The significance of the intermediate category is also noteworthy. In almost all areas, between 42% and 49% of respondents indicate that their habits may change, though not necessarily every day. Therefore, everything seems to indicate that Spaniards’ news consumption is not dominated by either completely rigid routines or constant change, but rather by certain basic guidelines that are open to adjustments depending on the context, the availability time, or the news of the day.

The older you get, the more stability you have

Age is one of the factors that most influences the stability of news consumption habits. Across all dimensions analyzed, news consumption routines become more established as age increases. Younger people, especially those between the ages of 18 and 24, show greater variability across all dimensions analyzed compared to those over 65. Furthermore, there is a significant shift between the group to 24-year group and the next age group, 25 to 34, which exhibits levels of stability in its news consumption habits much closer to those of older age groups.

 
The places and times when people check the news daily are the two areas where the difference between the stability of younger people’s habits and those of older people is greatest. The smallest difference is in the devices used, especially given the low percentage of people who say this varies from day to day in both group .

Unlike age, gender has only a minimal impact on the stability of information-seeking routines. Across all dimensions analyzed, men and women show very similar distributions across the three categories of habit stability.

Income and educational level educational not factors that particularly affect the stability of information-seeking habits either, although income level does introduce some minor differences in specific areas. For example, those with high incomes show slightly less variation in their topics of interest (13% say this aspect changes daily, compared to 17% of respondents with low incomes), but they vary more in terms of where they are when they check the news (33% say this aspect does not vary, whereas, among those with low incomes, the figure is 41%). There is also a difference—albeit a smaller one—regarding devices: 53% of high-income respondents use the same devices every day to access information, compared to 46% of those with low incomes.

Ideology also does not have a decisive impact on the stability of information-seeking habits, but respondents who answered “I don’t know” to the question about political leanings tend to be much less consistent in their routines, with higher levels of variability across all the dimensions surveyed. There is also a slight difference regarding the habit—or lack thereof—of consulting the same news sources every day: respondents on the left of the political spectrum have slightly more stable daily routines in this regard than those on the right. Among left-leaning voters, 42% say the media outlets they use to get news do not change, and only 8% of them indicate that this varies from day to day. Among right-leaning voters, 38% stick to the same outlets every day, and as many as 14% say this varies from workshop to workshop. Center-leaning voters fall between these two extremes.

Social media, less stable habits

Daily habits related to news consumption appear to be somewhat linked to news sources. Those who say that social media is their source for news show the greatest variation in several aspects, such as their schedule, the frequency with which they access news, where they are when they check the news, and the media outlets they access. At the other end of the spectrum, those who rely source television maintain the most stable daily routines. This relationship is undoubtedly closely linked to age: social media is the primary source information for younger people (40% of those under 35 identify it as their source of information, compared to 19% of those over 35), and we have already seen that younger people have less stable news consumption habits.

Regarding the times of day when people enquiry , 21% of those who rely on social media as source news source follow a daily routine, and as many as 36% change their enquiry schedule enquiry workshop, whereas among respondents who get their news primarily from television, 32% say they always enquiry news at the same times, and 21% change their schedule day. These percentages are similar to those reported by people whose primary source information is audio (radio or podcasts).

Those who primarily use social media as source show significant variation in the frequency with enquiry information: 27% say it varies from day to day, compared with 23% who report that it remains consistent. Among those who get their news primarily from television, the frequency of enquiry more consistent: 32% report no variation, compared with 18% who say it varies from day to day.

While those who watch the news on television typically do so from the same locations (44% have set habits, and only 9% say this varies from day to day), those who rely source on social media as source exhibit more variable habits in this regard (33% have consistent routines, and 17% change locations every day).

The same is true regarding the habit of checking the same media sources every day. One-third (32%) of those who get their news from social media say this is something that doesn’t change, while 16% say it varies from workshop. These percentages are far lower than those reported by people whose source is television (42% say it doesn’t change, and 9% say it varies each day) and, above all, by those who get their news primarily through audio (nearly half—48%—stick to the same media outlets every day, while 13% say this aspect varies).

It is also interesting to note the relationship between news consumption habits and the ways people access the news. In general, internet users who access information through newsletters or email alerts and those who access news websites or apps directly tend to have more consistent news consumption habits than those who access news through social media, a search engine, a news aggregator, or alerts on their mobile phones mobile tablets.

Other factors, such as interest in or trust in the news, do not seem to affect the stability of information consumption habits.

Spain: A Leader in News Consumption Habits

Although Spanish news consumers do not have fully established routines, Spain stands out as the market with the most stable news consumption habits among the 45 countries surveyed on this issue, with the highest percentages of internet users reporting that their daily routines for checking the news remain unchanged.

 
Spanish news consumers rank first among the countries analyzed in four areas: the issue which they consume news, the news outlets they use, the topics that interest them, and the activities they engage in while consuming news. Spain is also one of the three countries with the most consistent habits regarding the time of day when news is consumed and one of the top four in terms of where people are when they enquiry news. The only aspect surveyed in which Spain does not stand out for its consistency is the devices used to access news, a category led by the United Kingdom (62%) and Singapore (59%), although Spain still ranks above the average .

Just as in the specific case of Spain, the most consistent aspect of daily news consumption across all the countries surveyed is precisely that of mobile devices. It is the only factor that remains the same every day for half of the respondents, both in Spain (50%) and worldwide (47%), and only one in ten says it varies from day to day (9% in Spain, 12% across the 45 countries).