In a context of profound changes in the modes of production, dissemination and consumption of information, the Directorate-General for Media and Cultural Industries (DGMIC) of the Ministry of Culture wanted to have a thorough diagnosis on the practices of information consumption by the younger generations (15-34 years). To do so, she entrusted Médiamétrie with producing an analysis of these practices.

The study finds that young people are better equipped with mobile devices than the average (89.9% of those aged 15-34 have a smartphone, compared to 69.2% of those aged 15 and over)[1] and more connected (97% of people aged 15-34 have access to the Internet, compared to 93% of the total population).[2]

Young people are important consumers of information content on the move. In particular, they make intense use of social networks:

- 71% of 15-34 year-olds access news on a daily basis via social networks, the latter being, for this generation, the first mode of access to information.

- 69% check daily news on their smartphone, the first medium used to read news, in front of the TV (61%) and computer (51%). More generally, the study notes a decline in the speed of traditional media (linear television, spoken radio, print).

- 32% of 15-34 year-olds only use social networks or search engines to access online information content.

The study shows that, contrary to popular belief, young people are very interested in current affairs:

- 93% say they are interested in information, with varying degrees of intensity.

- 15% even report being “information addicts”.

- Only 7% of youth say they are not interested in current events.

It also demonstrates the beneficial and lasting effects of media and information literacy (MIL) on informational behaviour of young people. 34% of young people aged 15-34 say they have benefited from an EMI action in the school setting (experiences of media creation, screening and decrypting sessions of information videos, participation in press and media week at school, etc.), among them:

- 22% say they are “information addicts” versus 12% for those who have not benefited from an EMI action,

- 87% access information on-line on a daily basis, compared to 75% for those who did not benefit from an EMI action,

- 65% often check the information they access, compared to 42% for those who did not benefit from an EMI action.

This result confirms the relevance of the priority given to the EMI with the doubling of its resources. The aim is to make it possible, by the end of the five-year period, to become an obligatory passage for all children, and to give the ability to be critical and discerning in the face of the profusion of online information.

The Ministry of Culture thanks Médiamétrie and all the professionals who have contributed to this study which usefully feeds the current reflections.

 

[Source: Mediametry, Online survey of 2000 Internet users aged 15-34 – November 2017]

 

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[1] Source: Observatoire des Usages Internet (Q4 2017) – Médiamétrie

[2] Source: Home Devices (Q4 2017) – Mediametry