Meanwhile, new sociological research reveals that while younger populations regularly consume news, their engagement patterns and preferred topics vary significantly by age and background.
Modern media consumption habits among youth and grassroots efforts to connect generations present a fascinating look at how different age groups interact with information and each other. Recent data and community projects highlight a shifting landscape where digital platforms play a central role in how stories are told and received. Contrary to common misconceptions, quantitative surveys and social science research confirm the interest of young people in current events.
Bridging Generations Through Video in Annecy
What began as a simple realization about the value of listening to older generations has turned into a sustained community project. Since November 2024, Téo Voire and Pierre Petit, two childhood friends originally from Annecy have been walking the streets of their hometown with a mission: to recreate a bond between generations.
Their project, “Nos Vieux Amis” (Our Old Friends), was born from a simple but profound realization: what if we finally took the time to listen to our elders? By filming and broadcasting the testimonies of elderly people, these Annecy residents wish to recreate a bond between generations and inspire a positive approach to aging, in France and beyond.
Youth Information Habits and Media Consumption
While local creators work face-to-face with seniors, broader sociological studies examine how younger demographics consume news and current events. Three recently published surveys provide a picture of the information practices of young people in the era of platforms and digital social networks. The Youth Barometer highlights the effects of age, gender, or degree on these information practices.
According to the survey on French people and information conducted on behalf of Arcom (the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication), which looked at the information practices of adolescents, while the practices of 15-19 year olds are “more distant, less frequent, and less expert than those of their elders, they do not seem to be less well-informed than adults.”
A survey conducted in Normandy among 11th-grade students to evaluate their relationship with “disinformation” and their information verification practices—focused on vocational tracks and working-class backgrounds—confirms that information practices differ significantly according to social origin. Furthermore, Laurence Courroy and Anne Cordier, both researchers in Information and Communication Sciences, have spent several years trying to understand the information practices of young people.
Demographic Shifts and Shifting Content Interests
They question the recurring prejudices about young people being disconnected from current events, who would supposedly abandon the press and traditional media to focus only on content broadcast via social networks. The Youth Barometer, a survey of 4,500 young people aged 15 to 30, conducted for the Direction de la jeunesse de l’éducation populaire et de la vie associative (DJEPVA) and the National Institute for Youth and Popular Education (INJEP), explores the variety of practices of 15 to 30 year olds regarding news in 2024.
Between 15 and 30 years old, the majority of young people have kept themselves informed of the news several times a week, or even every day, over the last twelve months (this concerns 7 out of 10 young people aged 15 to 30), which is significantly less than their elders (9 out of 10 people over 30). Not all young people seek information with the same regularity.
The importance given to news during childhood or adolescence within the family permanently and clearly shapes the frequency of news consumption. Daily news tracking increases significantly with age: while between 15 and 17 years old, nearly 3 out of 10 young people claim to be informed every day, this is the case for 4 out of 10 among young adults (25-30 years old).
Education level has a notable effect on the frequency of news tracking. Young adults with a higher education degree keep themselves updated on the news every day more frequently: 48% among 25-30 year olds compared to young people who obtained a degree equal to or lower than the baccalauréat (39% among 25-30 year olds).
“The observed correlation between the degree and the frequency of news consultation could result in part from habits acquired during higher education, some training requiring assiduous consultation of the media. This could also be the result of socialization to news, with the most educated being more represented among those who were socialized to news during childhood or adolescence.”
Gendered centers of interest. News, as perceived by 15-30 year olds, covers a plurality of themes. Among fourteen proposed news themes, young people say they are more often attracted to sports (45%) and general news/miscellaneous facts (39%), followed by national politics (35%), the environment and climate (34%), and international politics (33%).
The interests of young people are, however, very gendered. Sports information, then mechanics, automobiles and motorcycles, as well as science and technology, arouse more interest among young men. For their part, young women are much more frequently interested than young men in general news/miscellaneous facts, followed by fashion and beauty, health and well-being, social issues (education, families, housing, justice…), the lives of celebrities, and gossip topics.
