Local news and audiences’ wellbeing: the roles of motivation, satisfaction, and trust
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Local news plays an important role in generating a sense of community attachment. However, the relationship between local news and wellbeing is less explored. Based on a national survey of 6,367 Australians, this study found that trust in and satisfaction with local news were linked with higher personal and community wellbeing. News-related factors (motivation, satisfaction, trust) were more strongly related to community wellbeing than to personal wellbeing. Accessing local news for community-related reasons was the strongest predictor of wellbeing. Guided by uses and gratifications theory, this study provides new insights into the role of local news in peoples’ lives, and emphasises the need to protect local news from further decline.
Authors: Sora Park, Jee Young Lee, Sonia Curll, Caroline Fisher, Kerry McCallum, Paul Tyrrell, Lisa Levesque, Alex Mihalovich
Institution: University of Canberra
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Australian Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4390105258