The demise of reading may be over-exaggerated. The conventional view holds that reading is falling out of fashion and being replaced by video watching. Young people in particular prefer to watch videos rather than read text, according to that perception.
However, young people prefer to obtain their news by reading rather than watching or listening, a new Pew Research Center survey reveals. In fact, people in their 20s prefer reading the news more than their elders.
PR Implications
The information holds significant implications for PR. Although commentators consistently urge PR to include video and other types of multimedia in press releases, websites and blogs, text remains critically important.
More Americans prefer to watch their news (46%) than to read it (35%) or listen to it (17%), the survey shows. But news consumption preferences vary dramatically by age. Those ages 50 and older are far more likely to prefer watching news over other methods. About half (52%) of 50- to 64-year-olds and 58% of those 65 and older would rather watch the news. About three-in-ten in those two age groups (29% and 27%, respectively) prefer to read it.
The 18-29 age group prefers to obtain news by reading (42%), followed by watching (38%) and listening (19%).
A Shift to Digital
Reading preferences show the transition from print to online news consumption. Most of that reading among younger adults is through digital text rather than print. About eight-in-ten (81%) of 18- to 29-year-olds who prefer to read their news also prefer to get their news online; just 10% choose a print newspaper. The breakdown among 30- to 49-year-olds is similar. News readers who are ages 50-64 are roughly evenly split between a preference for the web (41%) and print paper (40%), while those 65 and older mostly still turn to the print paper (63%).
The survey also shows a trend to watching and listening to news through the web. While 57% of 18- to 29-year-old news watchers prefer to get their news via TV, 37% cite the web as their platform of choice. That is far more than any other age group.
Other research, including previous Pew Research showed that younger people are more likely to obtain news through social media. About a third of those 18-29 often get news from social networking sites (32%) and from news websites and apps (34%), according to Pew.
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism research reports that social media has overtaken television as young people’s main source of news. According to the study, 28 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds cite social media is their main source of news and 24 percent cite television. Since 2013, the number of people in the US who say they get their news from social media has doubled: 46 percent now use social media for news.
As news consumption migrates from print to digital to social media, it’s essential for PR to promote their messages through social media. At the same time, it’s vital to not neglect text in the rush to embrace multimedia.
Bottom Line: New research shows that many people prefer to read their news. Surprisingly, reading is the preferred consumption method among younger people. That means PR pros who stress video at the expense of text may lose audiences.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
