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People in Wales more likely to get their news from social media than other UK nations, new study shows

22 Jul 2022 2 minute read
Using TikTok. Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash.

People in Wales are more likely to get their news from social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok compared with other UK nations, a new study has shown.

Ofcom’s annual report on news consumption in the UK shows that social media such as TikTok is growing among younger users as a source of news and could soon depose more established sources of information such as the BBC News website.

In Wales, 51% got their news from social media, compared with only 46% in England.

At 42%, 22% and 23% the people of Wales were also the most likely to get their news from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, compared with 31%, 16% and 15% in England.

The people of Wales were however the least likely to get their news from podcasts or magazines, with only 7% and 3% doing so. In Scotland, 15% got their news from magazines.

12% in Wales also got their news from TikTok, while it did not appear among the top 20 sources of news for the other nations of the UK.

National news

Adults in Wales were second only to Scotland in saying they were “very interested” in news about their own nation.

In Wales, the figure was 46% compared with 52% in Scotland. In England, the figure was much lower, at just 21%.

Only 11% in Wales turned to newspapers for news about their own nation compared to 20% in Scotland. 16% turned to the websites of news organisations for news about their own nation, compared with 11% in Scotland.

Despite the rise of social media, however, BBC One continued to dominate in Wales when it came to finding out news about their own nation, with 46% using it, compared with 31% in England and Scotland.

BBC One use was also rated much higher in Wales at their top choice for news in general, at 28% compared with 21% and 18% in England and Scotland.

Overall, 61% in Wales got at least some of their news from BBC One, compared with 53% in England and 51% in Scotland.


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

That reflects the dire state of the print media in Wales, the door is wide open for N.C to expand its coverage of the news in Wales…

One of the two witnesses
One of the two witnesses
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Regards NC, maybe a bit less “look what this bigot said about us” clickbait and a bit less silencing of views which oppose the moderator’s own views would help.
It’s still a self-imposed niche vanity site at the moment. Self-imposed in that some of its own actions are stifling its growth

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

If people look to the BBC for news all they get is Tory propaganda and he/she Tory MP says…Express owned Reach newspapers are bird cage carpet…I agree there is a lot to fix on N.C…I myself am still waiting for an apology after the vilest comment by ‘Harry’ (who should have been prosecuted) against my long dead mother was allowed to remain for days before it was taken down, it really was the worst thing I’ve read on here or anywhere else for that matter (not being a twitter/ face book user). However it is possible that N.C could mature… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
One of the two witnesses
One of the two witnesses
1 year ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Agree with every point you make. The English press is vile in nearly all its forms, but that’s their problem. I also agree about NC. The journalism needs to step it up a little bit. It’s very much like a community run local newspaper at the moment, dealing with very very local issues. It would benefit from taking a wider view of the news and not worrying about what every mean thing some Unionist rentamouth nobody has ever heard of says about us. But the comments section often descends into either Independence motivated Orwellian groupthink and grouphate (I am pro-Indy… Read more »

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Your bit about restricted comment is never far away unless somebody wishes to sexually abuse my mother in the most disgusting terms then that is fine…don’t dare say a word against MD

Last edited 1 year ago by Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

The sad thing is the culture page is hardly visited…the readership needs broadening but the bias must put more gentler souls off…personally I really enjoy Del Hughes’ fortnightly dive into the twilight zone as well as the natural and ancient history pieces…thanks for your words re my old mam…

G Horton-Jones
G Horton-Jones
1 year ago

Sorry BBC or should I say EBC to be accurate but Al Jazeera is the place to go for real journalistic credibility

Glen
Glen
1 year ago
Reply to  G Horton-Jones

No BBC is right, it’s the British Brainwashing Corporation.

One of the two witnesses
One of the two witnesses
1 year ago
Reply to  G Horton-Jones

In general agreement. There are certain topics that I might not rely on Al Jazeera for, and obviously they don’t always cover the stories I would be interested in, but they are a far better news source than the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation. The BBC seems primarily interested in providing programming and news-like view reinforcement for the well heeled denizens of the Home Counties.

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