How India’s Gen Z is reshaping news consumption

New Headline: A new study from Google and Kantar offers insights into how India’s Generation Z consumes news, revealing shifts in preferences and engagement styles shaped by their unique outlook and digital habits.

Titled Bridging the Gap: Reimagining News for Gen Z, the research includes qualitative analysis and a survey of over 4,000 Gen Z respondents aged 15 to 28 across 40 markets and eight language clusters.

It finds that India’s Gen Z, which constitutes 16% of the urban population, is the most internet-connected group, with 87% using the internet compared to the urban average of 75%, according to Kantar’s ICUBE Urban 2024 data.

The report outlines several key characteristics of Gen Z’s news habits. Nearly all Gen Z news consumers (96%) are digital natives. For many, news discovery is incidental, often occurring during moments of idle scrolling, with social media (91%) and video platforms (88%) serving as the primary sources of news.

Gen Z’s feeds typically blend content from news organisations, creators, and meme pages. While they tend to follow creators (48% for niche or civic creators) more than traditional news outlets (43%), trust remains stronger for established news organisations, which enjoy 47% trust compared to 38% and 39% for civic and niche creators respectively.

Language preferences vary by format, with 42% of Gen Z choosing English for reading articles, but a majority favouring local languages for audio and video content (56% and 57% respectively). This preference is attributed to local languages being easier to understand, simpler to share with family and friends, and fostering stronger emotional connections.

Generative AI tools are widely used by Gen Z, with 84% having engaged with such technology to deepen their understanding of news. Common uses include seeking quick answers (43%), simplifying complex topics (38%), and translating content (36%).

The study highlights that Gen Z prefers news presented in emotionally resonant, interactive, and visually engaging formats, in contrast to the linear and static nature of traditional news. This preference shapes their engagement, with many drawn to immersive and relatable news experiences that feel personally relevant.

Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Director, B2B and Technology, Insight Division, Kantar, explained, “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, added, “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.”

The report suggests several considerations for news publishers seeking to engage Gen Z effectively. It recommends rethinking platforms and formats, prioritising social and video channels with short, visual-first content such as explainers and recaps. Notifications should be crafted as micro-stories delivering value beyond mere traffic generation.

Adopting a conversational, relatable tone and incorporating local languages and humour can help newsrooms connect more authentically. Collaborations with trusted creators or the development of in-house talent may bridge the gap between institutional credibility and the engaging delivery that Gen Z expects.

Content designed as social currency and practical life tools tends to earn greater engagement. News should focus on actionable information about topics such as jobs, digital safety, health, and finance, and be designed for shareability, allowing users to remix and react to stories within their communities.

Trust remains paramount for Gen Z, who often fact-check content perceived as misleading. Publishers can foster trust by embedding sources within social content, maintaining a composed tone, and avoiding sensationalism.

This report is the latest in a series of studies by Google India and Kantar exploring India’s evolving news consumption habits. It builds on earlier reports from 2023 and 2024, further illuminating the shifting preferences of India’s digital news audience.