New research reveals that we are addicted to news. A global study into the behaviour around news consumption has revealed that 52% dip into news on a daily basis.

42% of those questioned said they checked the days stories within an hour of waking up, while 63% admitted they need to be first to know about global news.

The research was commissioned across 10 markets by technology firm HTC. It found that this need to constantly access news is resulting in a better informed society.

65% agree that they have a more rounded viewpoint on the news because they have access to multiple sources, while 72% say they feel more knowledgeable about what is going on in the world because news is more accessible.

The study says this is in stark contrast to the notion "that social media is dumbing us down".

However it also finds that the impact of instant accessible news has led to a decline in online sharing, with only 13% of us sharing news stories through social media - and just 14% 'liking' news stories.

The survey says we are more likely to share local news through social media - which is seen as less readily available - than health news (9%) or celebrity news (4%), which are both considered much easier to access.

55% of people said that they are more interested in the news story itself, rather than its source. And 50% of those aged over-55s were found to be loyal to traditional news outlets, compared to only 34% of under-25s.

Yves Le Jan is Director of Content and Services at HTC.

"This study has confirmed what we already believe to be true - that bite-sized news with the choice to delve deeper into a story, is leading to a better informed global nation" he said.