One in six Irish very interested in news, significantly higher than UK and US
Irish people are more interested in the news and have better trust in mainstream media compared to the UK and US, a new study has revealed.
Some 56 per cent say they are extremely or very interested in the news, according to the Irish Digital News Report 2025 published on Tuesday. This is higher than the UK (39 per cent), the US (51 per cent) and ahead of the European average at 45 per cent.
While Irish people have a high interest in news, up 3 per cent on last year, it has fallen significantly from a peak of 70 per cent in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Just 3 per cent of those surveyed in this country said they are "not at all interested" in the news.
Irish audiences also trust mainstream news outlets more compared with other countries, with 50 per cent saying they trust the news "most of the time". This compares to 35 per cent in the UK, 30 per cent in the US and 39 per cent for all of Europe.
Traditional news outlets continue to hold the most trust from the Irish audience. RTÉ News (72 per cent), local or regional radio (72 per cent), and local or regional newspapers (71 per cent) are the most trusted brands.
Some 70 per cent described the Irish Times and BBC News as trustworthy, followed by 66 per cent for the Irish Independent, Sky News, Newstalk and Today FM. However, Irish people remain concerned about misinformation with 68 per cent saying they worry about what is real and fake online.
Television and news websites are the most popular way that Irish people are consuming news. Some 58 per cent of respondents said they have watched TV or consumed online media in the past week to stay up to date on news, while 47 per cent said they used social media as a source of news.
A further 36 per cent said they listened to the radio, 22 per cent read a printed newspaper, 12 per cent listened to a podcast to get the latest headlines and 5 per cent used AI chatbots. Radio listenership remains high in Ireland, with 11 per cent of respondents saying they use radio as their primary source of news.
This is 3 per cent higher than the UK, 8 per cent more than the US and 4 per cent above the European average. Podcasts are also very popular in this country, with 12 per cent saying they used them as a source of news in the last week.
The number of Irish people willing to pay for digital news has significantly increased over the past decade. Some 20 per cent of the population are now paying for news, which is up from 7 per cent in 2015 and 3 per cent on last year.
Of those that pay for a digital subscription, 36 per cent are subscribed to the Irish Independent and 33 per cent to The Irish Times. Rónán Ó Domhnaill of Coimisiún na Meán said the Digital News Report shows that most Irish people "can't get enough of news".
He added: "It is encouraging to see that interest in news remains high in Ireland when compared internationally, even as the formats used to consume news continue to change.
"We are heartened to see the continuing trend of the Irish public's unique and longstanding relationship with radio, which remains a cornerstone of Ireland's media landscape. It is also important to see the trust Irish people place in local news sources, with local radio and local newspapers among the most trusted brands for Irish audiences."
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