Perception of online news consumption and young people related practices in the Community of Madrid (Spain)

This article analyses the news consumption habits of young people in the Community of Madrid (Spain), their perception about them and the practices related to it. This is a relevant question, both for understanding the online behavior and for the effect it has on journalistic activity. Based on a statistically representative survey applied between June and July 2019, we obtained the point of view of 533 participants (17-24 years), and the influence of age and level of education is studied. The research confirms the low rate of news consumption of young people. In addition to the general presence of online consumption, incidental access is confirmed as a characteristic of this sector of the population, though it is influenced by age. It also explores the most preferred topics, the most prevalent ways of online news consumption, the procedures used to share them, and the practices related to verification. Finally, the importance of face-to-face communication in news consumption and the differences between consumption and trust in the means of accessing the news are observed.