News barometer: Research into youth news and fake news literacy

How news-literate are young people in Flanders? The News Barometer tracks how they deal with news, fake news and disinformation each year.

In short

The News Barometer is a recurring large-scale study on news consumption and news literacy among Flemish youth aged 12 to 24. Building on earlier projects, this research provides in-depth insight into how young people interact with news, disinformation and deepfakes.

Need and relevance

Young people grow up in a digital world saturated with (dis)information. However, there is little structural knowledge about how they process and assess news. Previous studies offered valuable snapshots, but long-term data are needed to understand trends. This project fills that gap and helps schools, media organisations and policymakers develop more effective news literacy initiatives.

From approach to impact

The research combines large-scale surveys with focus groups involving young people. The results offer insights into their level of news literacy and vulnerability to disinformation. Based on these findings, existing initiatives will be evaluated and new ones developed. This contributes to a media-savvy generation, better equipped to navigate and resist manipulation in a digital world.