Digital News Report: Social Media Becomes the Most Important News Source for Young Austrians

Overall, traditional television news remains the most-cited main news source in Austria at 29.7 percent, but social networks are catching up noticeably at 18.3 percent — a gain of 3.5 percentage points over the previous year. According to the Reuters Institute, the study was conducted from early January to early February and covers around 2,000 people aged 18 and over who are active online in Austria; it is representative of this population group.

News Trust in Austria Above the 2024 Low Point

A second focus of the report concerns trust in news: around four in ten respondents in Austria (40 percent) said they generally trust the news. This puts the country below the 2021 figure (46 percent) but above the 2024 low point (35 percent). The international average stands at 37 percent — a low not seen since 2015.

Among specific providers in Austria, the report says ORF.at, "Standard" and "Presse" enjoy the greatest trust, followed by regional and local newspapers with 60.6 percent. Trust in tabloid media is markedly lower: "Heute" comes in at 36.5 percent, "oe24" at 40.7 percent, the "Kronen Zeitung" at 46.4 percent, and ATV at 42.4 percent. People who describe their political orientation as "center-left" place above-average trust in the news (50.6 percent), followed by those who identify as "strongly left" (44.5 percent); at the bottom of the scale are people who place themselves on the "strongly right" (32.4 percent).

Public Service Offerings and Regional Media Enjoy More Trust Than Tabloids

Another finding concerns public service providers: 37.6 percent of respondents see a very or somewhat positive effect on life in the country from their news coverage, while only 24.3 percent speak of a somewhat or very negative effect. In terms of political self-placement, ORF.at is clearly ahead among "left" and "center" respondents, while among "right" respondents the online edition of "Krone" leads narrowly ahead of ORF.at.

Looking at the use of online news brands, ORF.at is clearly ahead overall of the online editions of "Krone" and "Standard." ORF.at leads among men and women alike, as well as in nearly all age groups; only among 35- to 44-year-olds does Krone.at rank — in the report's words — "by a hair" — ahead of ORF.at.

AI Chatbots Are Becoming a First Point of Contact — Especially for Follow-Up Questions

AI chatbots are also playing an increasing role, according to the study: 26.8 percent of users describe them as "the first place I turn to these days for most things." The most common reasons cited for using them are follow-up questions for more detailed information (44.4 percent) and language translation (41.6 percent). Around a quarter of under-35-year-olds place trust in news content produced by AI chatbots.

At the same time, 51 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds in Austria express concern about being unable to distinguish accurate from inaccurate information online. This concern is particularly pronounced among younger people, given the growing importance of social media and AI tools as news sources.

On willingness to pay for online news, the report shows a decline: 16.1 percent of respondents in Austria (globally: 14.7 percent) said they had paid for digital news in the previous year — a drop of almost six percentage points. The figure remains, however, above that of 2024, when the "Digital News Report" recorded 13.7 percent for Austria. The most important motives cited for paying are supporting journalism (43 percent) and gaining access to content one would not otherwise get (36.3 percent).

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's "Digital News Report" has been conducted since 2012 and is considered one of the broadest studies on the shift in news consumption from analog to digital channels. For the Austrian sub-sample, around 2,000 people were surveyed.

Overall, the study paints a picture of growing fragmentation: while younger people increasingly access news via social networks and AI tools, regional media and public service offerings are gaining trust among those who prefer traditional editorial structures. The rise of social media as the main information source among 18- to 24-year-olds marks what is arguably the most striking break in Austrian media-use behavior in years.