Perceptions of Journalism in a Cross-National Perspective
An Assessment of News Users in Three European Countries
Copyright (c) 2024 Javier Serrano-Puche, Aurken Sierra, Jordi Rodríguez-Virgili
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
This study compares news users’ perceptions of journalism in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. Two cross-national surveys were conducted, each with over 2,000 participants in the respective countries. The surveys examined users’ evaluations of journalism’s relevance to society and its fulfilment of three key functions: holding the powerful to account, rapidly disseminating information to the public and providing analysis of current affairs. The findings highlight a gap between the social importance attributed to journalism and satisfaction with media performance. Information dissemination is perceived as the most effectively achieved function, while functions requiring more watchdog or analytical efforts receive less recognition in media activity. Age and education level are influential socio-demographic variables in news users’ perceptions. Older respondents and those with higher education levels view journalism as more relevant. Finally, Germany places a higher importance on journalism compared to Spain, with the United Kingdom occupying an intermediate position.
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