Problem

News avoidance

Other Names:
Deliberate inattention to current affairs
Nature:

News avoidance is a matter of concern if it means that citizens are not sufficiently equipped to take decisions in elections or referendums. There are two distinct types: avoidance stemming from the depressing nature of the content itself and avoidance due to disapproval of the news media more broadly.

Incidence:

In a 2018 survey, the most frequent reasons given for news avoidance were:

  • negative effect on their mood
  • distrust media / doubt truthfulness of news
  • nothing I can do about it
  • upset by graphic images
  • lead to arguments
  • disturbed ability to concentrate on more important things.

Countries that are undergoing considerable economic and political turmoil reported a higher level of new avoidance than stable and prosperous countries.

Web Page(s):
News Avoidance
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems
Date of last update
09.04.2019 – 13:47 CEST