Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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Digital News Landscape

fact sheet
Pew Research Center photo illustration.

Local News Fact Sheet

The landscape of local news in the U.S. has changed significantly in recent decades as Americans have been turning away from print and television and toward digital media. In 2025, 21% of Americans say they follow local news very closely, down from 37% in 2016.

data essay

Young Adults and the Future of News

The ways Americans get news and information have transformed dramatically in the 21st century. The news habits of the youngest adults reflect this shift – and may offer some insight into what the future holds.

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Digital News Landscape

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  • report

    Dispatches and Data from China

    Senior Research Fellow Deborah Fallows has been living in China for the past two years, sending us whimsical dispatches as well as in-depth reports about the impact of the internet on social life.

  • report

    Tracking China’s Earthquake on TV and the Internet – Part II

    In a second dispatch, our Beijing correspondent reports that Chinese TV is back to being the voice of the government. Meanwhile, the internet has become a more wild-west version of itself, with a virtual explosion of content that runs the gamut from informative to creative, irresponsible, angry, maudlin…

  • report

    Tracking China’s Earthquake on TV and the Internet

    While the internet proved to be a faster and more varied source of news about the disaster, Chinese television reports have shown an unprecedented absence of censorship: “The faces in these productions tell everything. The soldiers are young; the grief is raw; the eyes are desperate.”

  • report

    The Internet Gains in Politics

    The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the internet, almost the double the percentage from …

  • report

    Obama’s YouTube moment

    Barack Obama makes an early play for “YouTube moment of the 2008 campaign”

  • presentation

    Communications & Attitudes:The Internet versus Print Media

    This presentation discusses how user behavior is likely to shape future demand for printed materials. Much of the presentation centers on the Pew Internet Project’s typology of users of information and communication technology, which suggests that…

  • report

    The Latest News Headlines—Your Vote Counts

    What would a world in which citizens set the news agenda rather than editors look like? A new PEJ study comparing user-news sites, like Digg, Del.icio.us,and Reddit, with mainstream news outlets provides some initial answers. The snapshot suggests both a drastically different set of topics and information sources.

  • report

    Fred Thompson’s Online Campaign Is in Full Swing

    When he formally enters the 2008 race this week, former Sen. Fred Thompson can behave in all ways like a presidential candidate. But on his “testing the waters” website, I’mwithFred.com, he’s already been busy reaching out to supporters.

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