Manchester-based digital marketing agency, Embryo, has conducted an in-depth report of almost 50 of the most popular UK digital news publications.
The Big Embryo News Report 2023 reveals behavioural and socioeconomic insights by analysing which publications successfully engage their readers and how different generations display preferences for certain publications.
Key findings from the study include:
- The Guardian is the most-read publication in the UK overall, followed by the Daily Mail
- Gen Z is the first generation to turn their back on the Daily Mail
- Males hold the majority of readership across all 47 publications
- Gen Z tend to favour news with left-wing principles
Embryo’s senior digital PR expert, Chloe Pryce, said: “The purpose of the report is to equip digital news publications with the insight needed on evolving audiences, allowing them to tailor their strategies and navigate the digital landscape effectively.”
“Through understanding generational preferences and the potential of social media distribution, publications can survive and thrive in a competitive media environment.”
As news consumption has evolved from traditional print media to online publications, the report identifies the preferred sources of information for all generations: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.
The Guardian emerged as a favourite among Gen Z and Millennials, showing a strong appeal to younger readers, while the Mail took top spot among the three older groupings, with the Guardian in second place across all three.
The Daily Mail maintained a significant readership across all generations except Gen Z, where it was not even in the top three – it came second to the Guardian among Millienials. Embryo suggested that this could spark questions about its credibility. Having grown up with the internet, Gen Z possesses the ability to easily recognise misinformation in the digital landscape, which Embryo surmised could mean Gen Z avoid the Daily Mail due to past criticisms surrounding the accuracy and credibility of its news stories.
In terms of engagement (based on sharing articles on social media), The Daily Mail won out with 1,922 articles shared in the last 30 days, just ahead of The Guardian with 1,902. This suggests that while The Guardian may retain readers longer, The Daily Mail’s content is highly shareable and may cater to a more social media-oriented audience, emphasising preference for quick consumption and easy sharing over in-depth reading in some demographics.
Looking to regionals, the London Evening Standard managed the highest engagement, with 500 shared articles. The Manchester Evening News was the highest placed regional outisde the capital, in a respectable 13th place with 323 shares among the study.
Lastly, the report revealed an intriguing find detailing that all 47 news publications held a higher percentage of male readers, opening a discussion into gender-specific preferences and the possibility that women gravitate toward sources such as radio, social media, and magazines as their preferred channels for news knowledge.
Readership data was calculated using YouGov Profiles, which surveyed 106,051 Brits asking which newspaper websites they had visited the most in the last 30 days. This research was then split by generation (Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer, and Silent Generation) to understand popularity.
Engagement was calculated using Buzzsumo, which analyses articles shared on social media.
