Almost a fifth of people in Japan may avoid news, industry survey suggests

A survey by news app operator SmartNews released Thursday showed that 18% of people in Japan consciously avoid news sometimes or often.

The research was conducted between January and March by an internal think tank at SmartNews and sought responses from 4,460 people between the ages of 18 and 79. Valid responses were received from 2,117.

Regarding the frequency of news avoidance, those who answered “very often” accounted for 2.9%. The share stood at 15.2% for those who chose “sometimes” and 30.8% for those who picked “occasionally.”

When asked why they avoid news, with multiple answers allowed, 60.8% said that news makes them feel depressed and sick.

Those who do not want to consume news in which they have no interest totaled 30.3%, while 26.6% said, “There are too many stimulating and sensational headlines that shout for attention.” Respondents who chose “There is too much news about crimes and other incidents” accounted for 24.6%.

Respondents in their 30s who intentionally avoid news sometimes or often totaled 22.5%, the highest proportion among all age groups.

Regarding news genres that respondents want to avoid, with multiple answers allowed, 46.7% of all respondents said there was no particular genre, while 21.7% chose news about celebrities, including gossip.

War and other conflicts were mentioned by 18.9%. “News that is meant to be touching or news that foments anger” was cited by 18%.

“The trend to avoid news is getting bigger and becoming one of the problems that potentially threaten the very existence of media organizations,” said Atsuo Fujimura, a fellow at the think tank.