More than 80% of Irish people read the news online
Research from the European Commission's data analysis wing, Eurostat, found that 89% of people in the EU aged between 16 and 74 used the internet in 2021, with the consumption of news one of the chief reasons for doing so. File photo
More than four out of five Irish people consume news while browsing online, with more people in the EU engaging in what is going on in the world than five years ago.
Research from the European Commission's data analysis wing, Eurostat, found that 89% of people in the EU aged between 16 and 74 used the internet in 2021, with the consumption of news one of the chief reasons for doing so. The number of news consumers is up since 2016, the data show.
Some 72% of EU internet users aged 16 to 74 read online news sites, newspapers or news magazines in 2021, a two percentage point increase compared with five years previously.
When it comes to Ireland, the data show that more people used the internet to consume news than watch shows or stream videos, with more than 80% for each category. Around 60% listen to music online, while more than a fifth play online games, far less than their EU counterparts on average.
Among EU member states, the highest percentages of internet users reading news online were registered in Finland (93%), Lithuania and Czechia (both 92%) and Croatia and Greece (both 90%), Eurostat said. The lowest usage was reported in Romania (59%), Germany (62%), France (63%), Italy (64%) and Belgium (67%).
Compared with 2016, internet usage for reading online news increased by three percentage points among women and two for men in 2021, but in general, men were more still likely to use the internet for reading news than women (74% vs 71%), the data show.
Reading online news sites, newspapers, and magazines was most popular for those between 25 and 54, followed by those aged 55 to 74, with an increase in both groups since 2016.
"People with high formal education (85%) were generally more likely to use the internet for ’reading online new sites/newspapers/news magazines’ than those who had not achieved such a level of education (57%)," Eurostat said.
🌐🗞️ In 2021, 72% of EU internet users aged 16-74 read online news sites, newspapers or news magazines.
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) August 24, 2022
Highest in:
🇫🇮Finland (93%)
🇱🇹Lithuania & 🇨🇿Czechia (both 92%)
🇭🇷Croatia & 🇬🇷Greece (both 90%)
Lowest:
🇷🇴Romania (59%)
🇩🇪Germany (62%)
🇫🇷France (63%)
👉https://t.co/W90SJeENEe pic.twitter.com/PBB1ef5Fy5
Younger internet users are less likely to engage in news browsing, the data show. People aged 16 to 24 were more likely than average to use the internet for a wide range of cultural purposes, except for reading online news sites/newspapers/news magazines, Eurostat said.
More men than women watched internet-streamed TV or videos at 77% compared to 72%, listened to music online or downloaded music at 64% compared to 58%, while 38% of men tended to be online gamers, compared to 31% of women.
Students tend to watch more television or listen to music online, the data show.
"Almost all students who were internet users watched online TV or videos (92%), or listened to or downloaded music (89%). In addition, more than half of them played or downloaded games (62%)," Eurostat said.
The cultural divide between younger EU citizens and their older counterparts is laid bare by the online streaming data, with watching videos a major part of the younger experience.
Television executives across the EU, along with the likes of sporting leagues and clubs, have tried to tap into the new habits in recent years, seeing which way the wind is blowing with new generations of viewers.
The share of young internet users consuming online videos increased between 2016 and 2020 by five percentage points, reaching 91% in 2021, the data show. This compares to 58% of those aged 55 to 74, although that grouping was up 10 percentage points in five years.
