Newspapers Still Relevant – 74 Percent of U.S. Adults Read Them in Print or Online
By Anna Johnson on November 23rd, 2009Data from Scarborough Research, a newspaper industry audience ratings measurement service, shows that almost three-quarters (74 percent) of U.S. adults (about 171 million people) read a newspaper either in print or online on a weekly basis.
Scarborough Research derived its findings from its recently released Scarborough USA+ Study, which captured the media patterns and other consumer behaviors of adults across the country. Whilst the company found that print readership is slowly declining, Gary Meo, Scarborough Research’s Senior Vice President of Print and Digital Media Services indicated that the printed newspaper won’t disappear any time soon.
He observed:
“While our data does show that print newspaper readership is slowly declining, it also illustrates that reports about the pending death of the newspaper industry are not supported by audience data. Given the fragmentation of media choices, printed newspapers are holding onto their audiences relatively well and this is refreshing news.”
Mr Meo also distinguished the Scarborough findings from those of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), which recently reported significant declines in weekday and Sunday printed newspaper circulation:
“While Scarborough shows declines in printed newspaper readership, these have not been as severe as those reported in circulation. This is because circulation and audience do not always march in lockstep as they are two different measurements.”
Circulation, which is audited and reported by the ABC, refers to the number of printed newspaper copies sold. Audience, which is measured by Scarborough and accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC), refers to the percentage or number of adults who actually read the newspaper.
Scarborough’s audience data also reveals that newspapers continue to attract educated, affluent readers. In an average week:
- 79 percent of adults employed in white collar positions read a newspaper in print or online;
- 82 percent of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more read a printed newspaper in print or online; and
- 84 percent of adults who are college graduates or who have advanced degrees read a printed newspaper in print or online.
