Sjeldenkonsumenter av nyheter: Holdning til nyhetsmedier, medborgerskap og forklaringer på sjeldenkonsum blant unge voksne

Those who rarely consume news are often described as a democratic problem. While later research has devoted more time to the group, we still lack an understanding of basic con- cepts regarding their thoughts on the role of news in democracy, as well as their own role as citizens, and, most importantly, explanations concerning their low consumption of news. The informants of this qualitative study speak negatively of the news media, criticiz- ing both content and form in light of their social responsibility. Several of the informants are engaged and interested in the public, while others are to a large extent disconnected from the public sphere. The study finds three explanations related to the low degree of news consumption: (1) overwhelming feelings of compassion towards news of human suffering; (2) focus on close relations and a low interest for both the content and the form of news, and (3) the need to prioritize time, specifically with regards to career develop- ment. It is argued that these characteristics play an important role in understanding how the informants see their role as citizens