National political news consumption in EU member states 2023, by country

According to an October 2023 survey across all 27 European Union member states, respondents in Poland were the most engaged with national political news, with 70 percent of people aged 15 years and older saying they accessed news about national politics in the last week. A factor influencing this high level of engagement could arguably have been the Polish parliamentary election, which took place during the time period in which the survey was carried out. Meanwhile, only around a third of people in several countries were keeping up to date about national politics at this time, with Slovenia and Denmark ranking last in terms of engagement.

2024: the election year

With elections due to take place in more than 60 countries across the globe in 2024, political news consumption will be in flux. Trust in the news media to accurately report election news is shaky among U.S. consumers, a sentiment likely to endure as left- and right-leaning publications vie for audience’s attention in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Confidence in world leaders is also prone to fluctuations and instability, and the many elections come at a time where humanitarian crises, international policy, and myriad more factors are already occupying the minds of potential voters.

Political news engagement: fight or flight?

One of the main reasons for news avoidance is politics. Audiences already feeling overwhelmed by information and fatigued by political stand-offs and debates may decide to switch off entirely as elections dominate the news. Alternatively, engagement with political news could see a spike as people seek to stay informed about major happenings in their own country and abroad. Another element which could affect political news access (and contribute not only to news fatigue but also to voting behavior) is misinformation. False political information remains an issue in countries around the world, and news publishers and consumers alike must therefore be vigilant.