ACMA report reveals Australians’ changing news habits – A new research report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority has revealed fresh insight into how Australian adults access, assess and engage with news.
The News consumer segmentation report identifies seven groups of Australian news consumers and examines the habits and attitudes shaping how people encounter news media.
For TV and media audiences, the findings underline a major shift in the way news reaches Australians, especially as digital platforms and social media continue to sit alongside television, radio, newspapers and established online publishers.
How Australians are consuming news
The ACMA says only two of the seven groups, representing a relatively small share of Australians, regularly use multiple news sources, seek different perspectives and verify information.
Those habits take time and effort. According to the report, they are more common among older Australians and people who have made news part of their regular routine.
Many of those consumers developed their habits in a pre-digital environment, when news sources were fewer and more clearly defined.
However, for many Australians, news consumption is shaped by convenience, routine and time pressure.
Younger and time-constrained audiences are more likely to rely on digital sources or encounter news incidentally through social media, where platform algorithms can influence what people see.
What audiences want from news
Across the different audience groups, researchers found demand for more balanced reporting, clearer separation between fact and opinion, more diverse perspectives and stronger editorial standards.
The findings arrive at a time when news organisations, broadcasters and digital platforms are under ongoing pressure to build trust, improve transparency and explain how news is selected, checked and presented.
The ACMA says the report is designed to deepen understanding of Australians’ behaviours, habits and attitudes towards news media.
For more media regulation coverage, visit TV Central’s ACMA section. The full report is available from the Australian Communications and Media Authority.