Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes
As a response to the Covid-19 outbreak, Ofcom is providing a range of information about how people are getting news and information about the crisis.
In late March, we commissioned an online survey of around 2,000 people every week. This continued until week 14 of lockdown (in June), at which point we moved to monthly surveys. We also provide key findings from other datasets such as BARB and ComScore.
We are publishing this under our media literacy duties, as part of our Making Sense of Media programme. This work furthers our understanding around the access, consumption and critical engagement with news at this time, recognising that habits may intensify or change given the nature of the crisis. For pre-Covid-19 news consumption and attitudes, please see our News Consumption Survey.
Given the increased concern about misinformation during this time, we are also providing information about fact-checking and debunking sites and tools.
Results from week 67
Fieldwork took place from 2-4 July 2021, asking people about their habits and attitudes in the previous seven days.
Consumption of news and information about the coronavirus
- In the last week, eight in ten people (81%) said they accessed news about the coronavirus at least once a day. This was the same proportion as last month (81%) and a decrease from week one (27-29 March 2020) where almost everyone accessed news about coronavirus (99%).
- Traditional media has remained the most-used source of news and information about the coronavirus, used by more than eight in ten people (84%) in the last week. Of these people, 62% said it was their most important news source.
- Most social media users (82%) said that they had seen banners, pop-ups and upfront notices about the coronavirus from official sources, such as health organisations or the Government, either each time, most times or sometimes when they used social media.
- The most common way people shared news or information about the coronavirus in the last week was by talking to family, friends or colleagues either in person or over the phone (61%). Other methods used by people to share news or information included, by writing on closed messenger groups such as WhatsApp or Zoom (12% vs 10% in June), via video calls on closed messenger groups (7%), and via social media posts (9%). One in three people (33%) said they had not shared any news or information about coronavirus in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (32%).
Misinformation related to the coronavirus
- A quarter of people (25%) said they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, the same as last month (25%). Those under the age of 35 were more likely to say that they had come across potentially false or misleading claims than those over the age of 35 (30% of under 35s vs. 24% of over 35s).
- Over one quarter of people (27%) were unsure whether or not they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (29%).
- Respondents were prompted with a list of claims which could be considered false or misleading, and 52% said they had seen at least one of the claims on the list. This has been in steady decline since January, although it is a similar proportion to last month (63% in January, 60% in February, 57% in March, 53% in April, 49% in May, 50% in June).
- The most common claims seen by respondents, from the prompted list, were: ‘face masks/coverings offer no protection or are harmful’ (seen by 20% of respondents); ‘the flu alone is killing more people than coronavirus’ (20%); ‘the number of deaths linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (18%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine may reduce fertility (18%); ‘the number of cases linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (16%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips into people’ (15%).
- Where respondents had seen claims that could be considered false or misleading, one in four (26%) said that seeing these claims had made them think twice about the issue. This was the same as last month (26%).
- One third of respondents (33%) had concerns about the amount of false or misleading information they might be getting about the coronavirus. Nearly six in ten respondents (57%) had concerns about the amount of misinformation other people may be getting.
- Most people (79%) agreed that ‘untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media’. However, one in five (21%) agreed that ‘it’s OK for untrue stories about the coronavirus to be posted and shared on social media, as long as they are flagged as potentially untrustworthy/untrue by the social media platform’, and a similar proportion agreed that ‘people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about coronavirus, even if it might not be true’ (22%).
- Over half (57%) of social media users said that they had seen posts on social media with warnings or notices that the information may be untrustworthy or untrue, a similar proportion to last month (56%). Half of these social media users (56%) also clicked through to view the content either each time, most times or sometimes when they saw these warnings, which was a similar proportion as last month (55%).
Previous results
Week 63
Fieldwork took place from 4-6 June 2021, asking people about their habits and attitudes in the previous seven days. This followed the easing of some lockdown restrictions across the UK on 17 May.
Consumption of news and information about the coronavirus
- In the last week, eight in ten people (81%) said they accessed news about the coronavirus at least once a day. This was the same proportion as last month (81%) and a decrease from week one (27-29 March 2020) where almost everyone accessed news about coronavirus (99%).
- Traditional media has remained the most-used source of news and information about the coronavirus, used by more than eight in ten people (82%) in the last week. Of these people, 64% said it was their most important news source.
- Most social media users (82%) said that they had seen banners, pop-ups and upfront notices about the coronavirus from official sources, such as health organisations or the Government, either each time, most times or sometimes when they used social media.
- The most common way people shared news or information about the coronavirus in the last week was by talking to family, friends or colleagues either in person or over the phone (62%). Other methods used by people to share news or information included, by writing on closed messenger groups such as WhatsApp or Zoom (10%), via video calls on closed messenger groups (7%), and via social media posts (9%). One in three people (32%) said they had not shared any news or information about coronavirus in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (33%).
Misinformation related to the coronavirus
- A quarter of people (25%) said they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week. This was an increase from last month (22%). Those under the age of 35 were more likely than average to say that they had come across potentially false or misleading claims (33% of under 35s vs. 22% of over 35s).
- Three in ten people (29%) were unsure whether or not they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, an increase from last month (23%).
- Respondents were prompted with a list of claims which could be considered false or misleading, and 50% said they had seen at least one of the claims on the list. This has been in steady decline since January, although it is a similar proportion to last month (63% in January, 60% in February, 57% in March, 53% in April and 49% in May).
- The most common claims seen by respondents, from the prompted list, were: ‘face masks/coverings offer no protection or are harmful’ (seen by 19% of respondents); ‘the coronavirus vaccine is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips into people’ (17%) ; ‘the number of deaths linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (16%); ‘the flu alone is killing more people than coronavirus’ (15%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine may reduce fertility (15%); ‘the number of cases linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (14%).
- Where respondents had seen claims that could be considered false or misleading, one in four (26%) said that seeing these claims had made them think twice about the issue. This was a similar proportion to last month (27%).
- Three in ten respondents (31%) had concerns about the amount of false or misleading information they might be getting about the coronavirus. Six in ten respondents (59%) had concerns about the amount of misinformation other people may be getting.
- Most people (81%) agreed that ‘untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media’. However, one in five (20%) agreed that ‘it’s OK for untrue stories about the coronavirus to be posted and shared on social media, as long as they are flagged as potentially untrustworthy/untrue by the social media platform’, and the same proportion agreed that ‘people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about coronavirus, even if it might not be true’.
- Over half (56%) of social media users said that they had seen posts on social media with warnings or notices that the information may be untrustworthy or untrue, a similar proportion to last month (53%). Half of these social media users (55%) also clicked through to view the content either each time, most times or sometimes when they saw these warnings, which was a similar proportion as last month (54%).
Week 59
Fieldwork took place from 7-9 May 2021, asking people about their habits and attitudes in the previous seven days. This followed the easing of some lockdown restrictions across the UK, with outdoor hospitality and retail reopening in England from 12 April and the reopening of gyms and leisure centres in Wales from 3 May. It was just before the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England and Scotland on 17 May, when indoor hospitality re-opened and indoor gatherings were allowed for groups of six or two households.
Consumption of news and information about the coronavirus
- In the last week, eight in ten people (81%) said they accessed news about the coronavirus at least once a day. This was a decline from last month (85%) and from week one (27-29 March 2020) where almost everyone accessed news about coronavirus (99%).
- Traditional media has remained the most-used source of news and information about the coronavirus, used by more than eight in ten people (83%) in the last week. Of these people, 62% said it was their most important news source.
- Most social media users (80%) said that they had seen banners, pop-ups and upfront notices about the coronavirus from official sources, such as health organisations or the Government, either each time, most times or sometimes when they used social media.
- The most common way people shared news or information about the coronavirus in the last week was by talking to family, friends or colleagues either in person or over the phone (61%), which was a decline from last month (66%). Other methods used by people to share news or information had also declined from last month, including by writing on closed messenger groups such as WhatsApp or Zoom (12% vs. 16% in April), via video calls on closed messenger groups (7% vs. 11% in April) and via social media posts (9% vs 11% in April). One in three people (33%) said they had not shared any news or information about coronavirus in the last week, an increase from last month (27%).
Misinformation related to the coronavirus
- Two in ten people (22%) said they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week. This was a decline from last month (28%). Those under the age of 35 were more likely than average to say that they had come across false or misleading claims (29% of under 35s vs. 18% of over 45s).
- One in four people (23%) were unsure whether or not they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (24%).
- Respondents were prompted with a list of claims which could be considered false or misleading, and 49% said they had seen at least one of the claims on the list. This has been in steady decline since January (63% in January, 60% in February, 57% in March and 53% in April).
- The most common claims seen by respondents, from the prompted list, were: ‘face masks/coverings offer no protection or are harmful’ (seen by 20% of respondents); ‘the number of deaths linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (19%); ‘the flu alone is killing more people than coronavirus’ (19%); ‘the number of cases linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (15%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips into people’ (14%) and ‘the coronavirus vaccine will alter human DNA’ (14%).
- Where respondents had seen claims that could be considered false or misleading, one in four (27%) said that seeing these claims had made them think twice about the issue. This was a similar proportion to last month (25%).
- One third of respondents (32%) had concerns about the amount of false or misleading information they might be getting about the coronavirus. Six in ten respondents (58%) had concerns about the amount of misinformation other people may be getting.
- Most people (81%) agreed that ‘untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media’. However, one in five (21%) agreed that ‘it’s OK for untrue stories about the coronavirus to be posted and shared on social media, as long as they are flagged as potentially untrustworthy/untrue by the social media platform’, and the same proportion agreed that ‘people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about coronavirus, even if it might not be true’.
- Half (53%) of social media users said that they had seen posts on social media with warnings or notices that the information may be untrustworthy or untrue, a similar proportion to last month (54%). Half of these social media users (54%) also clicked through to view the content either each time, most times or sometimes when they saw these warnings which was a similar proportion as last month (52%).
Week 55
Fieldwork took place from 9-11 April 2021, asking people about their habits and attitudes in the previous seven days. This followed the easing of some lockdown restrictions across the UK, with outdoor gatherings allowed for groups of six or two households in England from 29 March. It was just before the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England on 12 April, when all retail was allowed to re-open.
Consumption of news and information about the coronavirus
- In the last week, over eight in ten people (85%) said they accessed news about the coronavirus at least once a day. This was a similar proportion to last month (84%). News access was highest in March 2020 (99%).
- Traditional media has remained the most-used source of news and information about the coronavirus, used by more than eight in ten people (85%) in the last week. Of these people, 62% said it was their most important news source.
- Most social media users (83%) said that they had seen banners, pop-ups and upfront notices about the coronavirus from official sources, such as health organisations or the Government, either each time, most times or sometimes when they used social media.
- The most common way people shared news or information about the coronavirus in the last week was by talking to family, friends or colleagues either in person or over the phone (66%). People also shared this news or information by writing on closed messenger groups such as Whatsapp or Zoom (16%), via video calls on closed messenger groups (11%) and via social media posts (11%).
Misinformation related to the coronavirus
- Three in ten people (28%) said they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, the same proportion as last month. Those aged 18-24 were more likely than average to say that they had come across false or misleading claims (35% of 18-24s vs. 24% of over 45s).
- One in four people (24%) were unsure whether or not they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (25%).
- Respondents were prompted with a list of claims which could be considered false or misleading, and 53% said they had seen at least one of the claims on the list. This has been in steady decline since January (63% in January, 60% in February and 57% in March).
- The most common claims seen by respondents, from the prompted list, were: ‘face masks/coverings offer no protection or are harmful’ (seen by 21% of respondents); ‘the number of deaths linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (18%); ‘the flu alone is killing more people than coronavirus’ (18%); ‘the number of cases linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (16%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine may reduce fertility’ (16%); and ‘the coronavirus vaccine is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips into people’ (16%).
- Where respondents had seen claims that could be considered false or misleading, one in four (25%) said that seeing these claims had made them think twice about the issue. This was a similar proportion as last month (23%).
- One third of respondents (32%) had concerns about the amount of false or misleading information they might be getting about the coronavirus. Six in ten respondents (59%) had concerns about the amount of misinformation other people may be getting.
- Most people (79%) agreed that ‘untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media’. However, one in five (21%) agreed that ‘it’s OK for untrue stories about the coronavirus to be posted and shared on social media, as long as they are flagged as potentially untrustworthy/untrue by the social media platform’, and the same proportion agreed that ‘people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about coronavirus, even if it might not be true’.
- Half (54%) of social media users said that they had seen posts on social media with warnings or notices that the information may be untrustworthy or untrue, a similar proportion to last month (52%). Half of these social media users (52%) also clicked through to view the content either each time, most times or sometimes when they saw these warnings which was a similar proportion as last month (53%).
We have also published the following analysis:
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (April 2021) (PDF, 238.1 KB)
Children's News Consumption Survey: Covid-19 March 2021 key findings
As part of our 2021 News Consumption in the UK study, we asked around 500 12-15-year-olds about their use of, and attitudes towards, news content across different platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic between 24 November and 7 December 2020. We asked another 500 12-15 year-olds about their use of, and attitudes to, news content between 27 February and 24 March 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic continued.
- In March 2021, as in November/December 2020, 93% of 12-15s said they accessed news and information about the coronavirus ‘in the last week’.
- On average, 12-15s were using 4.6 sources for news about the coronavirus in March 2021.
- Family (55%), BBC TV (35%), friends (32%) and ‘school or teacher’ (32%) remain the most used sources for news and information about the coronavirus among 12-15s.
- Compared to November/December 2020, in March 2021 for news and information about the coronavirus there were increases in use of BBC TV (35% compared to 27% in November/December 2020), official bodies like the WHO or NHS (16% compared to 9% in November/December 2020) and social media sources (53% compared to 39% in November/December 2020).
- 63% of 12-15s agreed that there was too much in the news about coronavirus in March 2021, up from 54% in November/December 2020.
- 66% of 12-15s agreed that they found it hard to know what was true and what was false about coronavirus, consistent with November/December 2020 (62%). Those who mostly or completely rely on people they know for news about coronavirus, including on social media, were more likely to agree with this (76% agreed) than those who mostly or completely rely on the media or official sources (62% agreed).
- In March 2021 we asked 12-15s whether they relied on the media and official sources or people they know (such as friends or family), including on social media, for news about coronavirus. 45% said they relied completely/mostly on media or official sources, 28% relied equally on media and official sources, and people they know, and 27% relied completely/mostly on people they knew - all consistent with findings in November/December 2020.
Week 51
Fieldwork took place 12-14 March, asking people about their habits and attitudes in the previous seven days. This week marked one year since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the outbreak of the coronavirus was a global pandemic, and it also saw the return of most children across the UK to school.
Consumption of news and information about the coronavirus
- In the last week, over eight in ten people (84%) said they accessed news about the coronavirus at least once a day. This was a decrease from last month (88%) and from week one (99%).
- Traditional media has remained the most-used source of news and information about the coronavirus, used by nearly nine in ten people (86%) in the last week. Of these people, 63% said it was their most important news source.
- Most social media users (84%) said that they had seen banners, pop-ups and upfront notices about the coronavirus from official sources, such as health organisations or the government, either each time, most times or sometimes when they used social media.
- The most common way people shared news or information about the coronavirus in the last week was by talking to family, friends or colleagues either in person or over the phone (67%). People also shared this news or information via closed messenger groups such as Whatsapp or Zoom (15%), via video calls on closed messenger groups (12%) and via social media posts (11%).
Misinformation related to the coronavirus
- Three in ten people (28%) said they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (29%). Those under the age of 35 were more likely than average to say that they had come across false or misleading claims (35% of under 35s vs. 24% of over 35s).
- One in four people (25%) were unsure whether or not they had come across claims about the coronavirus which could be considered false or misleading in the last week, a similar proportion to last month (27%).
- Respondents were prompted with a list of claims which could be considered false or misleading, and 57% said they had seen at least one of the claims on the list. This has been in steady decline since January (63% in January, 60% in February).
- The most common claims seen by respondents, from the prompted list, were: ‘face masks/coverings offer no protection or are harmful’ (seen by 23% of respondents); ‘the number of deaths linked to coronavirus is much lower in reality than is being reported’ (21%); ‘the coronavirus vaccine may reduce fertility’ (18%); and ‘the coronavirus vaccine is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips into people’ (17%).
- Where respondents had seen claims that could be considered false or misleading, one in four (23%) said that seeing these claims had made them think twice about the issue. This was the same proportion as last month.
- One third of respondents (32%) had concerns about the amount of false or misleading information they might be getting about the coronavirus. Almost twice as many (61%) had concerns about the amount of misinformation other people may be getting.
- Most people (81%) agreed that ‘untrue stories about the coronavirus should not be posted or shared on social media’. However, one in five (20%) also agreed that ‘it’s OK for untrue stories about the coronavirus to be posted and shared on social media, as long as they are flagged as potentially untrustworthy/untrue by the social media platform’, and the same proportion (20%) agreed that ‘people and organisations have a right to say what they want on social media about coronavirus, even if it might not be true’.
- Half (52%) of social media users said that they had seen posts on social media with warnings or notices that the information may be untrustworthy or untrue, a similar proportion to last month (55%). Half of these social media users (53%) also clicked through to view the content either each time, most times or sometimes when they saw these warnings which was the same proportion as last month (53%).
We have also published the following analysis:
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (March 2021) (PDF, 398.8 KB)
Week 67
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 67 data (CSV, 4.2 MB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 67 data tables (XLSX, 879.5 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 67 questionnaire (PDF, 170.4 KB)
Week 63
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 63 data (CSV, 4.3 MB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 63 data tables (XLSX, 867.0 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 63 questionnaire (PDF, 195.2 KB)
Week 59
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 59 data (CSV, 4.2 MB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 59 data tables (XLSX, 864.5 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 59 questionnaire (PDF, 174.6 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: ethnicity data tables week 43-51 (XLSX, 876.0 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: nations data tables week 43-51 (XLSX, 1.1 MB)
Week 55
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 55 data (CSV, 5.3 MB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 55 data tables (XLSX, 977.5 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 55 questionnaire (PDF, 185.8 KB)
Children's News Consumption Survey: Covid-19 March 2021 data (CSV, 330.7 KB)
Children's News Consumption Survey: Covid-19 March 2021 data tables (XLSX, 99.8 KB)
Children's News Consumption Survey: Covid-19 March 2021 questionnaire (PDF, 168.1 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: nations data tables week 29-37 (XLSX, 1.1 MB)
Week 51
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 51 data (CSV, 5.3 MB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 51 data tables (XLSX, 955.4 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – week 51 questionnaire (PDF, 228.6 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (February 2021) (PDF, 235.1 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (February 2021) (PDF, 497.9 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (January 2021) (PDF, 259.4 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (January 2021) (PDF, 557.7 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (December 2020) (PDF, 219.8 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (December 2020) (PDF, 394.2 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (November 2020) (PDF, 422.9 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (November 2020) (PDF, 194.3 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (October 2020) (PDF, 363.4 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (October 2020) (PDF, 217.8 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (September 2020) (PDF, 495.4 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (September 2020) (PDF, 205.4 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (July 2020) (PDF, 193.5 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (June 2020) (PDF, 240.8 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on TV viewing (May 2020) (PDF, 193.5 KB)
Effects of Covid-19 on online consumption (April 2020) (PDF, 189.0 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – BARB charts (April 2020) (PDF, 191.6 KB)
Covid-19 news and information: consumption and attitudes – BARB charts (March 2020) (PDF, 287.2 KB)
We have conducted analysis looking at the proportion of UK adults who are digitally excluded, including those who do not use the internet or have access to the internet at home, or have access to any connected devices. This analysis looks at the likelihood of digital exclusion by a number of different characteristics including; age, living alone, having a condition that limits or impairs their use of communications services, being financially vulnerable, and having more than one of these characteristics. We also provide population estimates based on the analysis, which are provided as a range, with a lower and upper bound.
This analysis was conducted using Ofcom’s Use of communication services, consumer omnibus. This survey tracks the access and use of communications devices and services among non-disabled and disabled consumers, and monitoring disabled consumers’ limitations and preventions of use caused by their disability.
Use of communication services, consumer omnibus: digital exclusion analysis (XLSX, 24.2 KB)