• Television has lost 21 points over the past decade, but 66% of those who don't watch it used to: it's withdrawal, not a generational shift

• AI debuts with 8% of weekly users; nearly 1 in 5 young people aged 18–24 already use it weekly for news

An analysis of issue used by respondents to stay informed during the week prior to the survey sample Spaniards' per diem expenses has decreased considerably in recent years.

The average citizen uses 2.4 news sources per week, compared to 3.9 in 2017. This decline of 1.5 sources per person over nine years is not just a change in habits: it is a structural concentration of news consumption. One in three Spaniards (30%) currently gets their news from a single source. It is not a matter of one medium replacing another, but rather a reduction in issue sources each person enquiry.

Television: The leading source a sustained decline

The most pronounced trend in the longitudinal series is the steady decline of television as source of news: from 77% in 2017 to 56% in 2026—a drop of more than 20 percentage points with no year showing a significant recovery. The decline is particularly pronounced among young people: those under 25 have gone from 70% to 38%, and those aged 25 to 34 from 70% to 44%.

Radio has followed an even steeper downward trajectory in relative terms. From 33% to 18% in ten years: it has lost nearly half of its news listeners. Unlike television, which sample stabilization over the past two years, radio shows no signs of having bottomed out.

In this regard, Spain stands profile from its European neighbors. Television (56%) is in line with the Western average , but significantly behind Portugal (71%) and Italy (62%). The most striking difference is in online media: Spain (44%) is 10 percentage points below the Western average (54%) and far behind countries such as Norway (73%), Finland (77%), and Sweden (72%). It is the second-lowest figure in Western Europe, ahead of only France (39%).

The fact that social media is growing as a way to access news is tempered by a nuance highlighted by data news sources: when measured as source —that is, the media outlet itself, not the pathway —social media has declined moderately since 2017 (from 58% to 47%). The explanation lies in the general concentration of news consumption: Spaniards are using fewer sources overall, and this reduction affects all of them. However, those who include social media in their per diem expenses reference letter consider reference letter their primary reference letter : this group has grown from 16% in 2017 to 24% in 2026. Social media is losing reach but gaining prominence.

Social media is the top source for people under 35, but its usage TikTok highly segmented by platform. Instagram TikTok of news for young people; Facebook predominantly a source those over 45; and X most popular among 25- to 34-year-olds. WhatsApp is distributed more evenly across age groups. This fragmentation by platform means that referring to “social media as sourceis becoming less and less useful as an analytical category: audiences, content, and consumption patterns vary radically depending on the platform.

The source : TV holds its ground, social media applies pressure

The question about source provides a clearer picture of the perceived information hierarchy. And that picture holds a surprise: television is holding its own. From 42% in 2017 to 41% in 2026, the change is minimal despite a 21-point drop in weekly usage.

The most plausible explanation is that television has gone from being a daily habit to being a reference letter source reference letter . People watch it less, but when they do, they continue to rely on it as a source of information. Perceived authority is decoupled from frequency of use. Compared to other Western European countries, the preference for television as source places Spain among the countries most dependent on television, trailing only France (50%), Italy (48%), Portugal (59%), and Germany (41%).

Social media is the major trend of the decade: it has grown from 16% to 24% in ten years, already surpassing online media (21%) as source second-most cited source . Print media has lost half its share as reference letter : from 10% to 5%. The generational gap in source is even more pronounced than in weekly usage. For those under 25, social media is the source in nearly half of all cases (47%), compared to 23% who cite television. Among those over 65, television dominates with 56%, while social media stands at 8%.

The most distinctive feature of Spain in the context of Western Europe is the high use of social media as source weekly source . At 47% in Q3/Q311, Spain ranks among the Western countries with the highest use of social media for news, tied with Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland, and ahead of the United Kingdom (40%), Germany (36%), France (39%), Belgium (41%), and the Netherlands (37%), though slightly below Portugal (48%).

AI as source weekly news (8%) places Spain slightly above the Western average (7%), but below the global average (10%). Greece (12%) and Poland (10%) are the European countries with the highest adoption of AI as source , which may be due to Username profiles or a less established selection of reference letter digital media reference letter.

As respondents get older, television becomes an increasingly important source of news, while social media loses relevance. Among those aged 18–24 and 25–34, social media is the top choice for staying informed (47% and 36%, respectively), clearly surpassing television (23% and 28%). Starting at age 35–44, the gap narrows and television regains ground, practically matching social media. From age 45 onward, television solidifies its position as source , with a lead that continues to grow: 41% versus 22% in the 45–54 group , and 56% versus 8% among those 65 and older.

Artificial intelligence as source

In 2026, 8% of Spaniards reported having used AI chatbots to access news in the past week—up from 6% in 2025—and 1% cited them as source .

Adoption varies significantly by generation: 19% of young people aged 18 to 24 already use it as source news source , compared with 2% of those over 65. Year-over-year growth suggests a gradual increase in adoption that, although still limited, is advancing at a faster pace than other digital media did in their early years of measurement.