News Consumption: Sunday Statistics, Ed. 2

Good afternoon, and welcome to the second edition of Sunday Statistics! I’ve received a lot of positive feedback andenthusiasm after the first edition, discussing online video and the younger generation. This week, we’ll talk about the decline of newspapers as the source for news for the younger generation.

The Statistics

A study by comScore measured the differences in online news viewing behavior among heavy, medium, light, and non-newspaper readers, and revealed that those who do not read the newspaper are likely to be members of the younger generation.

The statistics here are a little less straightforward than last week, as those creating the study were measuring the relationship between age, online behavior, and newspaper reading. This resulted in many results that may or may not be extremely useful to you. I’ll do my best to explain the results in laymans terms, as well as what they can mean for you and your target audience.

According to the study,

• those ages 65+ are 3x more likely than the average person to read the print edition of newspapers, while
• the younger generation of 18-24 year olds are 38% less likely than the average person to read a print newspaper at all during a typical week.

Interestingly enough, both non and heavy newspaper readers are more likely, on average, to consume online news, and engage with traditional print news brands online, respectively.

So, it seems as if everyone is getting their news from somewhere (print or online), and are now more likely than ever to engage in news media sites, whether it’s a non-traditional news site such as Digg, or a traditional news site such as http://www.usatoday.com.

The younger generation tends to fall towards the Digg like sites, and the older generation who are used to their print publication leans towards their familiar brand names. However, non-newspaper readers seem to be so hungry for news that they are more likely to visit all kinds of news sites.

• Non-readers were 29% more likely than the average internet user to visit FoxNews.com and
• 15 percent more likely than average to visit CBS News Digital.

Statistics Summary

So what do these statistics mean for you? If you’re targeting the younger generation, ads or press releases in only the print edition of the paper may not reach your audience. However, simply advertising with digg like sites may also not be as effective as targeting the more traditional online channels, such as tv and newspaper’s online counter-parts.

The older generation, perhaps because they typically have more time on their hands, consume both print newspaper and online newspaper and news television sites. So both these mediums would allow you to expose them to your message. However digg-like sites would be less effective.

Once again, thank for reading the second edition of Sunday Statistics! If you have any requests for the type of statistics you want to be featured in future editions, please let me know. Looking for one specific stat? I love scavenger hunts! I’d be more than happy to scourge the net for that single number you’re looking for. Simply contact me via email at ericadewolf@gmail.com.