As commissioned by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung), Leonie Wunderlich and Dr. Sascha Hölig have published an overview of studies on the news literacy of adolescents and young adults in Germany, which has its origin in the #UseTheNews project.
Key Findings
News and Information Usage
- A differentiation between general and information-oriented media use is necessary.
- There are great differences between individual subgroups of young people.
- Commonalities can be seen with regard to motives, the associated use of offers and access points or the perception of news coverage and presentation preferences.
Media and News Literacy
- In the definition and conception of the term "literacy ", very different foci are set depending on the context and social framework conditions.
- Across studies, there are large gaps in knowledge on the part of the users.
- There are major deficits with regard to school as a place of acquiring literacy.
Wunderlich, Leonie & Hölig, Sascha (2022): Synopse zur Studienlage zur Nachrichtennutzung und Nachrichtenkompetenz Jugendlicher und junger Erwachsener in Deutschland [Synopsis of Studies on News Use and News Literacy of Adolescents and Young Adults in Germany]. Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI): Hamburg. Available online:
https://www.bpb.de/medien/752343/220309_Wunderlich_Hoelig_UTN_Studiensynopse.pdf
(18 March 2022)