Sweden: Consumers move away from social media for news
September 2, 2020
The media market in Sweden has been affected by the pandemic in various ways. Increasing news consumption is one factor, another is consumers’ change of primary news source. Mediavision’s Q2 analysis takes a closer look at this phenomenon.
The appetite for news among Swedish consumers surged early in the second quarter, spurred by the pandemic, and remained high throughout the quarter. A third of all Swedes 15-74 years old testifies that both frequency and overall news consumption was higher during the pandemic than before.
The single most popular news services are Aftonbladet (newspaper, website and/or app) and SVT (TV channel, website and/or app), which is also reflected in daily reach. This relation between reach and preferences may also speak to the strength or high credibility of SVT and Aftonbladet.
Mediavision’s Q2 figures also reveal that more than 25 per cent of the total population have in fact changed their primary source of news following Covid-19. Consumers are seemingly turning towards more trustworthy sources in times of need. Among those that have changed their primary source of news, public service has attained the largest increase while social media has weakened its position as news source. Specifically, fewer consumers see Facebook as a primary source of news now vs pre-pandemic. Instead, Swedish public service actor Sveriges Radio see a great influx in consumer preference when it comes to its standing as primary news source.