From Intentional Avoidance to Estrangement? A Longitudinal Study of News Avoidance and News Media Repertoires in Sweden

It has become increasingly clear that news avoidance is a multidimensional phenomenon consisting of both intentional news avoidance and low news use, yet knowledge about the longitudinal dynamics between these dimensions is still lacking. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies investigating the relationship between intentional news avoidance and specific news media repertoires. This article contributes to the literature on news avoidance by (a) including measures of both intentional news avoidance and news consumption as well as (b) using longitudinal panel data, to investigate the long-term dynamics between news media repertoires and intentional news avoidance. We rely on a four-wave panel survey conducted in Sweden (N = 7,283). The results show that intentional news avoidance and low news use are indeed distinct but intertwined dimensions. Intentional news avoidance is dynamic and influenced by different situational and media environmental factors and can be viewed as a function of (reconstructing) news consumption practices. At the same time, the results also show that people who report that they intentionally avoid the news are more likely to become low news users, implying that for some, temporary intentional avoidance might lead to habitual estrangement.