The decline in the number of Americans
who say they enjoy the news is a continuation of a
long-term trend. In 1995, a majority (54%) said they
enjoyed keeping up with the news a lot. That number fell
to 50% in 1998 and 45% this year.
While Americans remain generally
satisfied with the quality of television news and
overall TV programming, the trend here is negative as
well. About one-third (32%) say they are very satisfied
with the choice of TV news fare, down from 35% in 1998
and 43% in 1994. The number who say they are fairly
satisfied fell from 50% in 1998 to 48% today.
And when they do tune into the news,
increasing numbers of today's adults are fickle
consumers. More than six-in-ten (62%) now watch
television news with their remote controls in hand. With
channel surfing on the rise, it is no surprise that
overall news consumption remains largely event-driven.
Slightly less than half of the public (48%) actually
follows national news on a regular basis; fully 50% tune
in only for significant or interesting events.
Still, Americans continue to place a
high value on the importance of the news. Nearly
three-quarters (73%) think that news today is as
important as ever. A strong majority (62%) appreciates
having so many news and information choices available,
and over half (53%) wish they could devote more time to
the news.
Older and Overloaded
Most Americans enjoy the variety of
options brought on by the ever-expanding number of TV
news shows, magazines, newspapers and online information
services. This is especially true for younger Americans,
70% of whom laud the new technologies. But older adults
-- the most avid news consumers -- are most likely to
feel burdened by the expansion and proliferation of news
sources.
Four-in-ten senior citizens (41%) say
that all the TV shows, magazines, newspapers, and
computer information services make them feel overloaded.
Just 21% of adults under age 30, 27% of those ages 30-49
and 35% of the 50-64 age group agree. Americans with
less education are also more apt than those with more
education to feel overwhelmed by the number of news
sources currently available.
Online news consumers are especially
enthusiastic about the plethora of news choices.
Three-quarters (76%) of those who turn to the Internet
for news at least once a week appreciate having a
variety of options. Only slightly more than half (52%)
of those who don't go online agree.
Age, Education Matter
Beyond the overall decline in the
number of Americans who like following the news, there
are major differences on this issue based on age and
education. As has been true in previous years, older and
better-educated Americans enjoy following the news a lot
more than do younger adults and those with less
schooling.
Only 31% of those age 18-29 like
keeping up with the news a great deal. Nearly twice as
many (57%) of those age 50 and over agree. Among those
without any college experience, just 41% enjoy following
the news, compared to 54% of college graduates.
Not surprisingly, those who most enjoy following the
news tend to be the heaviest news consumers. This holds
true for all types of media. News enthusiasts watch
television news more regularly, read newspapers more
often, and follow all types of news -- international,
national and local -- at higher rates. They are also
more avid consumers of news online. Among Internet
regulars, 53% log on for news at least three days a
week.
But the Internet is also attracting
those who don't enjoy the news. Fully
one-quarter (26%) of online users who say they don't
like following the news still turn to the Internet for
news at least three days a week. In fact, these lukewarm
news consumers are more likely to log onto the Internet
for news than watch network, local and cable television
news.
Clearly, time constraints have made it
more difficult for Americans to pay attention to the
news. Over half (53%) of the public says they wish they
had more time to follow the news. Women -- especially
working mothers -- express this desire to a greater
degree than do men. Fully 58% of women want more time to
follow the news; 48% of men agree. Almost two-thirds
(65%) of working mothers want more time to focus on the
news.
Most Remain Satisfied with
TV
Despite the declining audience for
television news, a higher percentage of Americans
express satisfaction with the quality of news programs
than general television fare. While eight-in-ten are at
least fairly satisfied with television news, 58% say the
same about all television content.
Young people show a decided lack of
enthusiasm for the news, but they tend to be more
satisfied with general television programming than do
older Americans. Seven-in-ten of those under age 30 say
they are satisfied with TV programming; 57% and 52%,
respectively, of adults ages 30-49 and 50 and older
agree. Parents in the 30-49 age group appear especially
frustrated with TV offerings. Only about half (51%) say
they are satisfied. Perhaps not surprisingly, cable TV
subscribers are more satisfied with the choices
available on TV than are those who don't have cable in
their homes.
When it comes to TV news, the
satisfaction is more widespread. Majorities of all major
demographic, religious and political groups say they are
satisfied with TV news choices. Nonetheless,
satisfaction levels have fallen somewhat in recent
years. And today, among Internet users, those who are
dissatisfied with TV news choices turn to online sources
for news slightly more often than do those who are
satisfied with TV choices, 33% vs. 26%, respectively.
Business Coverage Rated
Highly
Americans give favorable reviews to the media's coverage
of various types of news. Among those who follow each
type of news, over 75% say they are at least fairly
satisfied with coverage of business and finance issues,
health news and events and people in their communities.
Coverage of political events and issues in Washington is
less highly rated: 62% say they are satisfied with this
coverage.
Women express somewhat more
satisfaction with the media's coverage of Washington
politics than do men: 65% vs. 58%, respectively, among
those who follow this type of news closely. Less
well-educated adults are also more satisfied with
national political coverage: 65% of those with no
college training are satisfied, compared to 58% of those
with college degrees. Regular talk-radio listeners are
among the least satisfied. Just 46% express
satisfaction, compared to 62% of the population at
large.
Hispanics and blacks who follow
community news closely are slightly less satisfied with
the news media's coverage in this area than are whites,
although large numbers are relatively content.
Seven-in-ten blacks and 69% of Hispanics say they are
satisfied with this coverage, compared to 79% of whites.
Although solid majorities of all major
groups express satisfaction with the media's coverage of
health news, community news and news about business and
finance, Americans are divided on in their opinions as
to whether executives and editors in the news media are
out of touch. Just over half (53%) of the public believe
that newspaper and TV news executives are out of touch
with people like them; 44% disagree. Older Americans,
adults with less education, and white evangelical
Protestants are among the most likely to complain about
the news media's connection to the public.
Roaming on the Rise
The public's propensity for flipping channels has risen
six percentage points since 1998 when 56% of the public
reported watching TV news with remotes at the ready,
compared to 62% today. Young people are especially
attached to their clickers -- about three-quarters (76%)
of those under age 30 watch with remotes in hand,
compared to 63% of 30-49 year-olds and 54% of the over
50 crowd.
Daily online news consumers are
somewhat more prone to flipping than are regular network
news watchers: 67% of Internet news consumers say they
click to another channel whenever their interest fades,
compared to 62% of the rest of the public. People who
don't enjoy following the news are also more likely to
watch TV news with remote controls at the ready. About
two-thirds (68%) of adults who don't get much pleasure
from following the news click around; 56% of those who
say they enjoy following the news a lot do so.
Event-driven Audiences
Fully 64% of Americans say that they
only follow international events closely when something
important or interesting is happening; just 33% pay
close attention most of the time.
This inattentiveness to international news was evident
in 1998, but now more Americans appear to be turning
away from national news as well. Half the public now
says that they follow national events only when
something important is happening, a slight jump from the
46% who said so in 1998. Although college-educated
Americans are still the most attentive news followers,
attention even among this group is falling off at a
fairly rapid pace. Now, 41% of those with college
degrees pay attention to national news only when
important events are happening; in 1998 just 31% were
this inattentive.
Event-driven news consumers are also
disproportionately young. Fully 63% of adults under age
30 follow national news closely only when something
important or interesting is happening; in 1998, 54% were
event-driven news consumers.
Taken together, a sizable group of
Americans (43%) follow both national and international
news only when something important is
happening. There is a very clear generational pattern on
this measure. More than half (52%) of those under 30
fall into this group, compared to 45% of those aged
30-49 and only 34% of those over age 50.
These event-driven news consumers are
much less likely than those who follow the news
consistently to say they enjoy keeping up with the news
(26% enjoy this a lot, vs. 70% of those who follow the
news most of the time). They're also more likely to feel
overloaded by the myriad of news offerings, and they're
less satisfied with the choice of news programs on
available on TV.
Only about a quarter of the public
(27%) follows national and international news most of
the time, whether or not something important or
interesting is happening. More men than women fall into
this category. This group is older and more
well-educated than average. In addition, those who get
news online on a daily basis are more likely than most
to follow this pattern of news consumption (34% vs. 27%
among the general public).
Just My Facts, Please
While most of the public wants news
that contains general information about important
events, a substantial 28% say they prefer news that
focuses on their own concerns and interests. This group
is disproportionately young and male: Fully 39% of men
under age 30 say they want news that addresses their
interests. About one-third (32%) of all men but just 24%
of all women express this view.
Less well-educated Americans express a
greater preference for news that caters to their
personal interests, rather than more generalized news.
Among those whose education ended with high school, 30%
want news that addresses their personal concerns. Only
21% of college-educated adults pick the specialized over
the general.
Americans who want specialized news consume less
mainstream news than do those who favor more generalized
news reporting. They watch TV news less frequently, are
less apt to read a daily newspaper, and are less likely
to be regular viewers of local news programs. Compared
to those who prefer generalized reporting, this group is
less constant in their attention to international,
national and local news, tuning in only for important
events.
Indeed, the only way in which those
with particularized news interests do not
differ substantially from the rest of adults is in their
Internet news consumption. Both groups go online for
news at equal rates.
Where Americans Go for
Breaking News
Given the public's diverging news
tastes and habits, it is perhaps not surprising that
Americans would scatter among different media outlets
even during times of crisis. The Pew Research Center
survey included a series of open-ended questions which
asked people where they would go to find out about
certain hypothetical breaking news events.
Under one scenario, respondents were
asked where they would go for news if there had been a
major terrorist attack on a large U.S. city. In this
case, most Americans would turn on their television
sets, but they wouldn't tune in to the broadcast
networks. By a better than two-to-one margin, they would
turn to cable TV outlets, primarily CNN.
As
many Americans would go to the Internet for more
information on a terrorist attack as would choose
network TV. Fully 10% would go online to learn more
about such an event. A similar proportion would turn on
the radio. Very few (5%) say they would wait for the
morning newspaper.
Even more Americans would go online
for news and information if they heard that the stock
market had fallen 1,000 points. In this case, the
Internet outpaces even cable TV. A sizable percentage
(32%) say they wouldn't be interested in getting more
information about such a stock market dive. However,
among those who would seek out news right away, fully a
quarter (24%) say they would go online. One-in-five
would turn to cable TV, and a mere 3% would turn to the
networks. Fifteen percent would rely on newspapers and
magazines.
The Public's News
Interests
Crime, health, and sports are the
three types of news followed most closely by the
American public. Fully three-in-ten Americans follow
crime stories very closely. Health and sports news weigh
in behind crime at 29% and 27%, respectively. Community
news and religion round out the top five news interests
(26% and 21%).
There are significant gender
differences underlying the public's appetite for news.
The top three news interests of women are health, crime
and community, while men are mostly interested in
sports, crime and science and technology.
Men
also follow international affairs and business and
financial news at higher rates than women. Fully
one-in-five men follow both these types of news very
closely, compared to 10% of women who follow
international affairs and 8% who follow business and
financial news.
News about political figures and
events in Washington continues to rank low on the
public's list of news interests. People who identify
themselves as independents are the least interested in
news about political figures and events in Washington.
Only 10% say they follow this kind of news very closely,
compared to 20% of Democrats and 21% of Republicans.
Blacks Closely Track
Community News
There are some notable differences in
news consumption habits among blacks, whites and
Hispanics. While fewer African-Americans than whites
read a daily newspaper, blacks watch television news at
slightly higher rates than whites. Nearly half of whites
(47%) report having read a daily newspaper yesterday,
compared to 37% of blacks and 32% of Hispanics. On the
other hand, nearly six-in-ten blacks report having
watched TV news yesterday, compared to 56% of whites.
While
local community news is popular among more than half of
the American public, blacks have a particularly strong
interest in this subject. Almost seven-in-ten blacks
(67%) say they follow local community news closely most
of the time whether or not something important is
happening. This compares with 57% of whites and
Hispanics. In addition, blacks watch local broadcast and
cable news channels at significantly higher rates than
whites or Hispanics.
More blacks than whites say they enjoy
keeping up with the news a lot (56% to 44%). However,
blacks are less satisfied with the media's coverage of
people and events in their community, an area of prime
interest to them. Almost three-in-ten African-Americans
(29%) say they are dissatisfied with the coverage, while
only two-in-ten whites (20%) agree.
Crime
and health are the top two news interests of blacks,
Hispanics and whites alike, but there are clear
differences after that. Blacks follow most types of news
at a higher rate than whites and Hispanics. For example,
almost twice as many blacks as whites follow crime news
very closely (51% to 27%). And more than four-in-ten
blacks (42%) follow religious news, compared to only 19%
of whites and 20% of Hispanics.
Blacks still lag behind whites and
Hispanics in going online, but they are starting to
access the Internet at slightly higher rates. The
digital divide is still evident: 38% of blacks go
online, compared to 56% of whites and 52% of Hispanics.
Almost one-quarter of blacks (24%) now get news online
at least weekly, compared to 33% of whites.
Reports by the Pew
Research Center
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