Study on Attitudes to News
About the Research Project
We have asked the Danish analytics company Epinion to conduct an independent and representative study on “news experiences and opinions” among more than 2000 Danish citizens. The survey was made possible with support from the Salling Foundations as part of the Constructive News Lab.
“Perceiving a more truthful and fairer blend of negative and positive news would not only help people make better sense of the world, it would significantly strengthen journalism by improved public trust.”
– Hans Henrik Knoop, Associate Professor, Aarhus University
Key Findings of the Epinion Report
- 57% of the time, Danes prefer a story with a constructive heading
- 16% of Danes say that they periodically avoid news
- 58% of Danes say that news focuses too much on conflict
- 68% of Danes want the news to focus more on Illuminating a case from several different sides
“When left with a choice we see that a majority will choose a headline with a constructive angle even though conventional wisdom is that “if it bleeds, it leads.”
– Peter Damgaard, Constructive Institute
Project Partners
The initiative has been supported with input from The DR Audience Research Department (DR Medieforskning), TV2 Analysis (TV2 Analyse) and with the umbrella organization for the Danish press Danish Media (Danske Medier). All data collection and analysis in the report has been made by Epinion, who are also responsible for writing up of the report.