Our 2026 report finds news audiences around the world reacting with growing unease to successive episodes of political, economic, and technological turbulence. Assumptions about the way the world works are being questioned as longstanding international alliances shift, the global trading system comes under strain, and the basic shape of the post-war order appears uncertain. At the same time, people are adapting to the rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence across many aspects of everyday life and, for many, the practical realities of climate change are increasingly being felt.
As the world changes at accelerating speed, news media report and update on these events around the clock, jostling for a share of the four to five hours each day that people devote to their smartphones. For some, this means new opportunities to stay close to news stories as they unfold; for others, it risks creating a sense of overload.
Read the full report and executive summary on the Reuters Institute website.