Educational Gaps in News Media Avoidance, 1986 to 2023. An Age–Period–Cohort Analysis

Previous studies on news avoidance have theorized about the interconnected effects of age, changes in the media environment, and generations to explain the phenomenon. However, no current studies simultaneously assess these effects. Using nearly 40 years of Swedish data, I find that as people age, they increase their news media consumption while both cohort and period effects show opposite trends. I also find substantial educational gaps. Over the life course, educational gaps are formed early. Period effects show growing educational gaps. Cohort effects vary, with those born in the 70s showing the largest educational gaps.