News Consumption Survey Shows Decline of Traditional Media

Given the new technologies and devices available, news consumption has changed during the past few years. A comprehensive study by Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that even television, which had a steady audience even through the rise of the Internet, is now declining, along with other traditional media.

Pew Research Center’s freshly released Trends in News Consumption: 1991-2012 an interesting and very useful analysis of the news landscape in the US. The latest survey that underlined these findings was conducted between May 9 and June 3, 2012, among 3,003 adults. The survey clearly shows the changes that took place in news consumption, and also highlights some interesting facts.

For people aged up to 30 years old, making up the young segment, the study revealed that the percentages of those receiving news from TV is almost identical to the one of those reading them on social networks: 34% and, respectively, 33%. Only 13% of the respondents in this segment admit to have received news from a newspaper, regardless of it being a printed version or the online one.

In fact, Americans don’t seem to prefer to read printed versions of magazines or newspapers. Back in 2000, 47% did that, while now only 23% said they have read a printed newspaper, and the situation regarding magazines is not very different (26% in 2000, 18% today).

Television seems to have a better fate, as 55% of the respondents said they watched news or a news program on TV in the previous day. However, only 34% of those younger than 30 did that, so the new generation isn’t so fond of this media channel, at least as a news source.

In what online news consumption is concerned, it seems that people are more and more open to receiving news on mobile devices (17%) or from social networks (19%). Among social media networks, Twitter isn’t as popular as one may think when it comes to providing news. Only 13% of the Americans use the microblogging network or read messages on this network.

The study is important as it analyses a delicate field: the source of information for a nation. It is vital to know where people get their information in order to effectively communicate with them. All public relations firms – large ones like Ketchum PR, mid-size ones like Kaplow PR & small ones like Hunter PR – all of them need to know how to manage today’s flow of news.