Engagement In A New Era
How newspapers stack up against the Internet as a news source
October 10, 2005
By Jason Klein
In today's internet-savvy world, consumers can access breaking news with a touch of their fingertips. How does this change the way consumers think about daily print newspapers? To answer this, Newspaper National Network LP asked renowned global research firm Millward Brown to study media engagement among 3,000 newspaper readers using the Web-based Lightspeed consumer panel. The sample was balanced by age and gender to make it more representative. The resulting respondent pool was very media-involved and used television, newspapers, magazines and the Web more than national averages. Eighty-two percent of respondents have used a newspaper Web site, and 38 percent use it weekly, although we only included readers of the print edition in the comparisons listed below.
In a number of respects, respondent attitudes and behaviors toward newspapers and the Internet were strikingly similar. Both scored low in terms of the number of concurrent activities, with about 1.3 concurrent activities versus 1.9 to 2.4 for magazines, radio and television, based on a list of activities provided. For newspapers, the main activities done while reading the paper were eating a meal, watching TV and listening to music on the radio. Both newspapers and the Internet are more likely to be a person's sole activity, with 29 percent and 36 percent, respectively, doing "nothing else" versus 19 percent for magazines, 18 percent for TV and 1 percent for radio.
Millward Brown also created "state of mind" maps based on a dozen questions, and newspapers and the Internet had a surprisingly close profile. Both had a general absence of negatives and strong scores on measures like intelligent, informed and relaxed. Both newspapers and the Internet stand out as media that engage the mind but are also a source of relaxation. The best media for relaxation, though, was television: 37 percent of respondents said they sleep or doze "usually" or "fairly often" while watching television.
The major difference the study found between newspapers and the Internet was in areas like credibility and trust. Newspapers are ranked by respondents as the most trustworthy of the media, as measured on a 1-10 scale, with television and the Internet ranked as least trustworthy. Substantially more respondents ranked newspapers higher than the Internet for providing "information I trust and believe" and being a "very reliable source." A core value for newspapers is editorial integrity, and these findings are a sign that people still place a great deal of trust in printed newspapers.
The Web wins hands down on speed. The Internet has supplanted all other media as "the first place I look when I need information." While this may disappoint many newspaper editors, I don't think they will be surprised. Newspapers have the edge versus the Web on two related measures. More respondents feel newspapers "deal with issues I care about" and deliver the most comprehensive source of news. And newspapers are rated significantly higher than the Internet in terms of being more "in-depth" (on a 1-10 point scale). The fingertip access of the Web may have changed where most consumers go first for information, but not necessarily where they may ultimately get the information they seek and trust.
The study also found that the trust that respondents placed in newspaper content extends to the advertising. Forty-two percent of respondents agreed that newspapers have credible advertising, versus only 16 percent for the Internet, 32 percent for magazines and 34 percent for television. In addition, more respondents feel newspapers carry advertising that helps them to choose what products to buy. These are clear signs that respondents are placing real value on the advertising they receive in newspapers.
The Internet is seen as more of a source of entertainment than newspapers, with 37 percent of respondents agreeing that the Web is their main source of entertainment, versus only 11 percent for newspapers. TV, of course, is seen as a main source of entertainment by the majority of respondents (64 percent). As the entertainment value goes up, the level of trustworthiness goes down. Also of note: Radio scored best on a 1-10 scale as the friendliest medium, with newspapers and the Internet being least friendly.
The study also tried to answer questions many advertisers have asked about where and when newspaper reading occurs. Of respondents who indicated a time of day for their newspaper reading, about two-thirds said it was before noon, and 41 percent said it was between 5 and 9 a.m. In addition, 69 percent of respondents said they read the paper at home on weekdays; 88 percent said they read it at home on weekends. When you couple these findings with the high levels of newspaper mono-tasking the study found, it paints what some would see as a fairly traditional picture: consumers reading the paper, avoiding distractions, in the morning, when their minds are fresh and often drinking a cup of coffee.
Maybe some things haven't changed all that much. Jason Klein is president and CEO of Newspaper National Network LP.