Australians are engaging with news in increasingly different ways, with habits ranging from incidental social media exposure to intensive, multi-platform consumption, according to new research from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

The ACMA’s News consumer segmentation report identifies seven distinct groups of news consumers, highlighting differences in how often Australians access news, which platforms they use, how much they trust news sources and what prevents them from engaging more deeply.

The research draws on the 2025 Annual Consumer Survey, based on a nationally representative sample of 5,590 Australians aged 18 and over. ACMA used latent class analysis to identify the seven segments and conducted 35 in-depth interviews to further explore their attitudes and behaviours. The agency stressed that the segment labels are interpretive descriptions and do not represent an assessment of the value or quality of particular news sources.

Seven distinct news audiences

The largest group identified by the research is the “news neutrals”, accounting for 23% of Australian adults and consuming an average of 6.5 hours of news each week. They generally regard news as practical rather than central to their daily lives and tend to engage at a surface level.

They are followed by “trusting traditionalists”, representing 20% of adults and consuming 14 hours of news per week, largely through free-to-air television and radio. At the other end of the spectrum, “news advocates” account for just 5% of adults but consume an average of 30.2 hours of news each week.

The remaining groups are “digital devotees” (15%), “online browsers” (14%), “sceptical passives” (13%) and “diversity seekers” (10%). Their average weekly news consumption ranges from 2.1 hours among sceptical passives to 13.9 hours among diversity seekers.

The research found a broad shift in consumption patterns across the segments. Higher levels of news engagement were generally associated with older and predominantly male audiences, while lower engagement was more common among younger Australians.

Social media reshapes news access

Social media has become an important pathway through which Australians encounter news, particularly for audiences seeking convenience or reacting to breaking developments.

ACMA found that online browsers and sceptical passives were more likely to encounter news incidentally through social media rather than actively seek it out. Digital devotees, meanwhile, used online platforms more actively and were more likely to cross-check information across sources.

The report also identifies risks associated with digital consumption, including misinformation, algorithmic repetition and exposure to similar perspectives. At the same time, traditional formats remain important, particularly among older audiences, with free-to-air television and radio continuing to provide familiar and trusted sources of information.

Trust, time and news fatigue

ACMA found that news consumption is often shaped less by deliberate choice than by habit, convenience and available time. Many Australians rely on familiar sources they consider trustworthy, while others consume news simply as it appears in their digital feeds.

For some audiences, however, this relationship is increasingly affected by news fatigue. Perceptions of negativity, sensationalism and bias were identified as common barriers to engagement.

Sceptical passives, who make up 13% of adults, recorded the lowest level of news consumption. ACMA found that 38% of this group had consumed no news in the seven days before the survey. They were also particularly likely to report that news was too negative or distressing and that they felt overwhelmed by the volume of news.

By contrast, diversity seekers and news advocates were more likely to actively seek multiple perspectives and cross-check information. However, ACMA noted that even highly engaged audiences face practical limits, with the volume and pace of information making consistent verification time-consuming.

Demand for balanced and accessible news

Despite differences between the seven groups, the research identified several common expectations. Australians surveyed expressed interest in more balanced and contextual reporting, clearer separation between fact and opinion, broader perspectives and stronger representation of local and community issues.

ACMA also identified paywalls and declining local news coverage as access barriers for some audiences. The report suggests that making high-quality and diverse news available through accessible, low-effort pathways could be important in an environment where convenience and trust strongly influence consumption.

ACMA said the findings provide a picture of an Australian news audience that remains interested in being informed but differs significantly in how it accesses, evaluates and engages with information. The report also notes that continued research will be needed to examine emerging influences on news consumption, including artificial intelligence and news influencers, which were outside the scope of the current study.