New Google and Kantar report reveals how India's youth engage with news

The world is complex and chaotic for India's Gen Z, and they are looking for ways to navigate this reality while prioritizing their personal well-being. A new research report from Google and Kantar, titled, Bridging the Gap: Reimagining News for Gen Z, sheds light on how this generation's unique mindset is reshaping news consumption. The multi-module study, which includes a qualitative exploration, as well as  a survey of over 4,000 Gen Z respondents (ages 15-28) across 40 markets and 8 language clusters, finds that Gen Z's relationship with news is changing.

According to the report, Gen Z, which makes up 16% of urban India's population, is the most internet connected demographic, with 87% using the internet compared to the urban average of 75% (source: Kantar ICUBE Urban 2024). The report highlights how Gen Z prefers to consume news and content - through emotionally resonant, interactive, and visually engaging formats - in contrast to the more linear, formal, and static presentation often associated with traditional news. This gap in presentation plays a key role in shaping their engagement, with Gen Z gravitating toward news experiences that feel more immersive, relatable, and personally relevant.

Shedding more light on the findings of the research, Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Director - B2B & Technology, Insight Division, Kantar, said, “This generation, which is 86 million strong, isn’t just consuming news, they’re curating their own experience of it. Gen Z expects news to be credible, but also emotionally resonant, visually engaging, and deeply relevant to their everyday lives. Our collaboration with Google has helped surface powerful insights into how publishers can evolve - not by abandoning journalistic rigour, but by adapting formats, tones, and platforms to meet Gen Z on their terms. For newsrooms, this is more than a challenge - it’s a moment of reinvention.”

Durga Raghunath, Head of News Partnerships, Google India, said, "Gen Z is actively shaping culture and conversation, presenting a powerful new dynamic for news organizations. This is a generation that wants news that is accurate, trustworthy, and emotionally engaging. The study underscores that to genuinely connect with this audience, it is critical to adapt storytelling and formats to be native to their digital lives. With this report, our aim is to surface critical insights that empower publishers to build new and lasting connections by meeting this audience where they are and in a way that builds trust for the long term."  

The report provides a roadmap for news publishers to connect with the Gen Z audience, emphasizing that to stay relevant, they must rethink not just what they report, but how, where, and why they deliver it.

Key insights into Gen Z's news habits

A push-based, always-on generation

• 96% of Gen Z news readers are digital natives. (Kantar ICUBE Urban 2024)
• For a majority (65%), news discovery is incidental and happens during moments like idle scrolling.
• Social media (91%) and video platforms (88%) are the leading sources for news.

Creators capture eyeballs, but trust rests with institutions

• Gen Z's feeds are a blend of news organizations, creators, and meme pages.
• They are more likely to follow creators (48% for niche or civic creators) than news organizations (43%). Creators are highly effective at capturing attention by delivering content in engaging formats, using an approachable tone, and providing immersive narratives.
• However, when it comes to trust, traditional news organizations triumph with 47% trust for news organisations vs. 38% for civic news creators and 39% for niche creators.

Language preferences are driven by format

• Gen Z prefers English for reading articles (42%) but strongly favors local languages for audio and video content (56% for videos and 57% for audio).
• This preference is fueled by local languages being ‘easier to understand’ (62%), ‘easier to share with family and friends’ (62%) and stronger emotional connect (55%). AI is a tool for accessibility
• A vast majority of Gen Z (84%) have used Generative AI tools to dive further into news they come across and bridge gaps in comprehension and accessibility.
• They use it to get quick answers (43%), simplify complex topics (38%), and translate content (36%).

Key takeaways for news publishers

The findings of this report provide powerful context to Gen Z for news organisations looking to connect with and sustain a relationship with the next generation of news consumers.

• Rethink platforms and formats: News publishers must treat social and video platforms as core parts of their strategy. This means creating short, visual-first formats like explainers, recaps, and visual storytelling with strong points of view. Notifications themselves should be crafted as micro-stories that deliver value, not just drive traffic.
• Borrow from the creator's playbook: The research shows that trust remains with News Publishers and journalists - Gen Z understands the value these institutions hold in bringing credible news to the masses. To gain attention, newsrooms can adopt a more conversational, relatable tone, and even use humor and local languages. Collaborating with trusted creators or developing in-house talent can bridge the gap between institutional credibility and the engaging delivery Gen Z expects.
• News as social currency and a life tool: To earn engagement, content must be framed through a "what's in it for me?" lens. News should provide actionable information on topics like jobs, digital safety, health and finance. It should also be designed for shareability, with templates and visual cues that allow Gen Z to remix and react to stories - enabling them to engage with news and share with their community.

• Earn trust: Gen Z are aware of the need for verification, and they often fact-check news when they perceive it to be potentially misleading. Publishers can build trust by embedding sources into social content, maintaining a calm and composed tonality and avoiding over-dramatization.

This latest report on Gen Z is the third in a series of studies Google India has conducted with Kantar over the past three years to understand India's evolving news consumption habits, speaking with almost 10,000 users in the process. The research began with the 2023 report, 'Indian Languages - Understanding India's Digital News Consumer,' followed by the 2024 report, 'The Indian News Consumer: Willingness to Pay and Key Drivers.' This new report on Gen Z builds on our previous findings, adding another crucial perspective to our ongoing understanding of the Indian news consumer. 

Google continues to invest in programs and research to provide news organizations with the insights, tools, and training they need to connect with audiences, adapt and grow.