November 17, 2009
New data from Scarborough Research (a joint partnership with The Nielsen Company and Arbitron, Inc.) finds nearly three in four adults, nearly 171 million, in the U.S. read a newspaper – in print or online – on a weekly basis.
“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 greatly exaggerated,” said
Gary Meo, Scarborough’s Senior Vice President of Print and Digital Media Services. “Given the
fragmentation of media choices, printed newspapers are holding onto their audiences relatively
well.”
According to the demographic data in the study, newspapers continue attract educated, affluent readers.
In an average week:
- 79% of white collar employed adults read a printed newspaper
- 82% of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more read a printed newspaper
- 84% of adults who are college graduates or more read a printed newspaper
For more info: Contact The Nielsen Company, or read about our media and consumer expertise.
Scarborough’s findings actually refer to reading a newspaper — in print OR ONLINE. To summarize this as “reading a printed newspaper” is misleading.
We apologize for the lack of clarity in the original post which noted print only. The post has been updated to show that the figures are for print and online.
What percentage of these adults pay attention to the ads in the newspapers – either online or in print?
And how many are paying for a subscription versus passing around an edition? I’d be willing to bet that both the daily readership and subscribers have plummeted.
Jim: What’s the point of your question? TV’s measurement sytem has more issues than newspapers…What % of people pay attention to TV commercials? Far fewer than those who pay attention to ads in newspaper.
Patsy: Readership is readership…I’m sure newspaper circulation people wish everyone who reads the paper bought one for themselves; but a reader is a reader…
Leave your response!
Recent Stories
Monthly Archive
Top Ads
Most Commented