The University of Canberra News and Media Research Centre have released the Digital news report: Australia 2026 which showed a increase in news interest driven by external factors as well as almost half (49%) of Australians believing public service media has a positive effect on life, well up on the global average.
SBS and the ABC saw audience trust at 66% with both organisations seeing increased viewer and listener engagement. SBS News website page views for example increased by 18% year-on-year and third-party video views were up 78% year-on-year (Adobe Analytics (SBS Production), Page Views; Sprout Social, Video Views; July 2024 – May 2026).
Some of the most surprising finds came from under 35s news consumers. It wasn’t a shock to find that 60% of 18-24-year-olds have never read a printed newspaper but it was fascinating that under 35s were twice as likely than those older to pay for news to make sure news content was available free of charge to others.
News avoidance remained quite high too (68%) but equally heavy news consumption rose, with the strongest growth among 18-24s (49%, +11).
The increased interest in news in those surveyed was likely the result of a year that included global crises, the Bondi Beach shooting, and a federal election. Women and young people significantly upped their engagement with an interest in politics among under 35s higher than the older cohort for the first time.
Social media is now the second most used news source (56%, +9) in Australia behind TV (57%). Generative AI chatbots usage emerged as a tools to get news with around one in ten surveyed saying they had used ChatGPT or similar.
Three-quarters believed media owners influence news coverage and those who distrust mainstream news tended to view influencers as more trustworthy and authentic than traditional media.
Podcast consumption rose across the political spectrum, with increases among right-leaning (16%, +7) and left-leaning audiences (18%, +4).
Younger audiences not only grew their engagement with public service media but the survey also saw those aged 25–34 (68%) are twice as likely to place a high value on it as 55–64s (34%).
SBS Managing Director, Jane Palfreyman, said these results demonstrate the importance of trusted journalism in an increasingly complex news environment:
“Trust is earned through rigorous reporting, editorial independence and a commitment to serving audiences with accuracy, impartiality and balance. This recognition reflects the dedication of SBS journalists and teams across the organisation who work every day to inform Australians, tell diverse stories and help audiences make sense of the issues shaping our world.”
The 2026 report was compiled by Sora Park (main picture), Kieran McGuinness, Jee Young Lee, Janet Fulton, Momoko Fujita, David Nolan, Caroline Fisher andGianni Nardi. The survey towards results was conducted by YouGov using an online questionnaire between 9th January–6th February 2026.