Why we avoid the news. Some evidence from the inequality of access to digital information in Spain

Abstract

The consumption and eventual avoidance of digital news shows differential characteristics related to economic inequality in Spain. As a polarized democratic system, according to Hallin and Mancini’s 2004 classification, Spain has some features that are somewhat different from other countries. According to data obtained from a survey carried out in the beginning of 2022, a quarter of those who responded -in an appropriately stratified way- stated that they have little trust in digital news from the media. Half of them indicate that the reason for avoiding news consumption, at least directly -incidental consumption is another matter- is the media’s lack of credibility, even greater than that attributed to journalists. Furthermore, social class -that is, economic income, in addition to factors such as educational background- influences how news is consumed. The most disadvantaged classes avoid direct access to the media more, as do the upper classes, though for different reasons, most likely because they obtain information through other channels.