Many people are now avoiding news for fear of the rising number of the novel coronavirus, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, has said.
It said in its newsletter, Wednesday, capped; “As the pandemic lingers, news avoiders grows in the UK.”
The newsletter said the factsheet, it published Tuesday, was based on a survey fielded on 7-13 May and focuses on the way news avoidance has evolved during the pandemic in the UK.
It said the factsheet, authored by Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Richard Fletcher and Rasmus Nielsen, an initial surge in news use around coronavirus has been followed by a significant increase in news avoidance in the UK.
“The percentage of respondents who say they often or always actively try to avoid the news has grown from 15% in mid-April to 22% in mid-May.
“The figure grows to 59% when including those who say they sometimes actively avoid the news,” it said.
It added that a gender gap in news avoidance has been identified before and it is partly related to structural gender inequalities.
“However, we find that women 26% are more likely to avoid the news than men ,” the newsletter reads.
The institute said the news bringspeople down, with 86% of those who always or often avoid news say they are trying to avoid COVID-19 news at least some of the time.
“Most of them say they are primarily worried about the effect it has on their mood.” it said.
