Netherlands sees falling news interest and low trust in social‑media news

Interest in news among the Dutch population has been declining, dropping from 61 % in 2018 to an estimated 45 % in 2026, according to the Digital News Report. The trend is observed across all surveyed countries and age groups, but is most pronounced among young people. Among 18‑ to 34‑year‑olds, 33 % now consider social media their main news source, up from 20 % in 2018, while half of 18‑ to 24‑year‑olds follow “news influencers”. Use of AI‑chatbots for news has risen modestly to 7 % overall, with 13 % of younger users employing them. Trust in news presented on social platforms remains low: only 12 % of respondents trust it, and 51 % express concern about its reliability, creating a “paradox” where social media are increasingly important but scarcely trusted. Traditional news brands retain higher confidence, with NOS ranking as the most trusted outlet. Overall news distrust has grown, rising from 11 % in 2018 to 21 % in 2026, reflecting broader skepticism about media influence by owners, politicians, and officials.