In 2023, telephone interviews and self-administered webforms were gathered from 3 183 people, resulting in a response rate of 53.2 percent.
Since 1991, the population’s media use has changed in line with changes in society. Prior to 2008, newspapers, linear TV, and radio held the primary position as key media outlets. However, in the last 15 years, mobile phones and the internet have gradually become the most central tools in daily media use for an increasing number of the population. The results from the Norwegian Media Barometer 2023 show that these trends continue. 94 percent of the population are now connected to the internet at least once during an average day. Among those under the age of 44, this applies to almost everyone, but even among those over 80 years old, there has been an increase from 2022 to 2023.
This year marks the lowest percentage of people who state that they read printed newspapers. In 1991, 84 percent of the population read printed newspapers on an average day, compared to only 17 percent in 2023. We also find the lowest proportion measured reading online newspapers since 2016, following a decline since 2020. In 2020, 70 percent read an online newspaper on an average day, whereas in 2023, the percentage was 59. We are less likely to read news through editor-controlled media and we are increasingly getting news through social media. Access to news through TikTok has seen the largest increase since 2022, especially among the younger population. Facebook and Messenger are most commonly used by those over 35, while Snapchat is most popular among those under 35.
Approximately half of the population listens to radio on an average day. However, there are significant differences between young and old. The time spent listening to the radio increases with age and this trend is also reflected in TV viewing. Half of the population have a TV at home, and about half of us also watch linear TV on an average day.
Half of the population watch video media during an average day, and just under half of the population are streaming video content. Additionally, nearly nine out of ten have access to paid streaming services. The youngest age groups have the highest share of access, but even among those over 80 years old, half reported having access to paid streaming services such as Netflix and TV2 Play in 2023. When it comes to watching shorter video clips online, for example from a PC or mobile app, there are greater differences between generations. People between the ages of 9 and 24 watch a lot of video clips, especially on YouTube and TikTok, something that only a few of the oldest age groups do. However, when it comes to listening to audio media, such as music, podcasts, and audiobooks, there has been a slight increase in all age groups since 2018.
Digital gaming is still most popular among boys aged 9 to 15, with seven out of ten playing daily. When it comes to reading magazines, this is still most common among older women. However, reading comics is most popular among both the youngest and the oldest. Magazine readers are more often men, and they tend to have higher education. The most stable medium since the beginning of the media usage survey is books. One quarter of the population read a printed book in 2023, and it is the youngest and the oldest among us who read the most.