Research Paper
Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 1 Running head: NEWSPAPER READING BEHAVIOR OF YOUNG ADULTS
New Paper Reading: The Explaining Factors of Newspaper Reading Behavior of Young Adults
MASTER THESIS Master Psychology
Herman Wolswinkel November 27th, 2008 University of Twente Dr. A. Heuvelman Dr. O. Peters
Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 2 Abstract Paid newspapers are no longer able to attract young new readers. They are in competition with new media like the Internet. On the contrary, free newspapers gather lots of young readers. The question arises which variables explain newspaper reading behavior of young adults, and whether there is a difference between paid newspaper readers and free newspaper readers. This research tested reading variables among 245 Dutch young adults via a questionnaire. Results show that newspaper reading does not depend on young adult’s surveillance needs. Facilitating conditions are very influential in newspaper reading time. When newspaper reading is made easy to young adults, they tend to read them, regardless of their real interest in the news subjects.
Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 3 Introduction The fast advance of television a few decades ago and the Internet in the last decade has changed people’s media consumption patterns. Different media are in a continuous time battle with each other. This is also true for news media. The traditional medium, like a newspaper is, is put into an underdog position. This development earns more detailed research, especially among the future generation. This research has its focus on young adult’s newspaper reading time. For many years now, the circulation figures of paid newspapers are declining. Since free newspapers entered the market in the Netherlands, the circulation of paid newspapers decreased with more than 750,000 copies in the period between 1998 and 2006 (PersMediaMonitor, 2007). While the paid newspapers are in tough times, free newspapers are booming. Within
New Paper Reading: The Explaining Factors of Newspaper Reading Behavior of Young Adults
MASTER THESIS Master Psychology
Herman Wolswinkel November 27th, 2008 University of Twente Dr. A. Heuvelman Dr. O. Peters
Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 2 Abstract Paid newspapers are no longer able to attract young new readers. They are in competition with new media like the Internet. On the contrary, free newspapers gather lots of young readers. The question arises which variables explain newspaper reading behavior of young adults, and whether there is a difference between paid newspaper readers and free newspaper readers. This research tested reading variables among 245 Dutch young adults via a questionnaire. Results show that newspaper reading does not depend on young adult’s surveillance needs. Facilitating conditions are very influential in newspaper reading time. When newspaper reading is made easy to young adults, they tend to read them, regardless of their real interest in the news subjects.
Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 3 Introduction The fast advance of television a few decades ago and the Internet in the last decade has changed people’s media consumption patterns. Different media are in a continuous time battle with each other. This is also true for news media. The traditional medium, like a newspaper is, is put into an underdog position. This development earns more detailed research, especially among the future generation. This research has its focus on young adult’s newspaper reading time. For many years now, the circulation figures of paid newspapers are declining. Since free newspapers entered the market in the Netherlands, the circulation of paid newspapers decreased with more than 750,000 copies in the period between 1998 and 2006 (PersMediaMonitor, 2007). While the paid newspapers are in tough times, free newspapers are booming. Within
References: Arnoud, V., & Peyrègne, V. (2002). Free newspapers - an international market survey. Retrieved May 20, 2007, from http://www.ifra.com. Bakker, P. (2002a). Free daily newspapers; business models and strategies. JMM the International Journal on Media Management, 4(3), 180-187. Bakker, P. (2002b). Reinventing newspapers; free dailies – readers and markets. In R. G. Picard (Ed.), Media firms: Structures, operations and performance (pp. 77–86). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Bakker, P. (2004). Vijf jaar gratis dagbladen in Nederland. Paper presented at the Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap. Bardoel, J., & Cuilenburg, J. van (2003). Communicatiebeleid en Communicatiemarkt; over beleid, economie en management voor de communicatiesector. Amsterdam: Otto Cramwinckel. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 24 Barnhurst, K., & Wartella, E. (1991). Newspapers and citizenship: young adults’ subjective experience of newspapers. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 8, 195–209. Basismedia (2002). Bereik Sp!ts. Retrieved May 20, 2007, from http://spitsnet.nl/adverteren/bereikcijfers.htm. Bauer, I. (1993). BDZV-Studie Junge Zeitungleser; Erste Reaktionen der Verlage. In DZV (Ed.), Zeitungen ’94 (pp. 190–211). Bonn: ZV Zeitungs-Verlag Service. Beaudoin, C. E., & Thorson, E. (2004). Social capital in rural and urban communities: Testing differences in media effects and models. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 81, 378–399. Bereik- en lezersonderzoek Sp!ts & Metro (2000). Bereikcijfers. Retrieved May 11, 2007, from http://spitsnet.nl/adverteren/bereikcijfers.htm Bird, S.E. (2003). The audience in everyday life: living in a media world. New York and London: Routledge. Blackhurst, R. (2005). The freeloading generation. British Journalism Review, 16(3), 53-59. Boëthius, U. (1995). Youth, the media and moral panics. In J. Fornäs & G. Bolin (Eds.), Youth culture in late modernity (pp. 39–57). London: Sage. Bogart, L. (1989). Press and public: who reads what, when, where and why in American newspapers. Hillsdale: Erlbaum. Bonfadelli, H. (1993). Adolescent media use in a changing media environment. European Journal of Communication, 8, 225–256. Breedveld, K., Van den Broek, A., De Haan, J., Harms, L., Huysmans, F., & Van Ingen, E. (2007). De tijd als spiegel. Nationaal tijdsbestedingonderzoek. Den Haag: Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau. Cobb-Walgren, C.J. (1990). Why teenagers do not “read all about it”. Journalism Quarterly, 67(2), 340–347. Costera Meijer, I. (2006). The paradox of popularity: how young people experience the news. Paper presented at RIPE Conference. Graber, D.A. (2003). The rocky road to new paradigms: modernizing news and citizenship standards. Political Communication, 20(2), 145-148. Gustafsson, K.E., & Weibull, L. (1997). European newspaper readership: Structure and development. Communications, 22(3), 249-273. Katz, E., Haas, H., & Gurevitch, M. (1997). 20 years of television in Israel: are there long-run effects on values, social connectedness, and cultural practices? Journal of Communication, 47(2), 3–20. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 25 Lauf, E. (2001). The vanishing young reader. Socio-demographic determinants of newspaper use as a source of political information in Europe, 1980–1998. European Journal of Communication, 16(2), 233–243. Metro International (2007). Annual Report 2006. Retrieved at May 12, 2007, from http://www.clubmetro.com. Noelle-Neumann, E. (1997). Wegweiser. Wie Jugendliche zur Zeitung finden. Bonn: ZV Zeitungs-Verlag Service. Peiser, W. (2000). Cohort replacement and the downward trend in newspaper readership. Newspaper Research Journal, 21(2), 11-23. Picard, R.G. (1989). Media economics; concepts and issues. Newbury Park: Sage Publications. Picard, R.G. (2001). Strategic responses to free distribution daily newspapers. JMM the International Journal on Media Management, 2(3), 167-172. Polites, G.L. (2005). Counterintentional habit as an inhibitor of technology acceptance. Proceedings of the 2005 Southern Association for Information Systems Conference Raeymaeckers, K. (2000). DeMix: een marketingtool voor krantenleesgedrag bij jongeren? Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 28(3), pp. 214–29. Raeymaeckers, K. (2002). Young people and patterns of time consumption in relation to print media. European Journal of Communication, 17(3), 369–383. Raeymaeckers, K. (2004). Newspaper editors in search of young readers: content and layout strategies to win new readers. Journalism Studies, 5(2), 221–232. Rager, G., Muller-Gerbes, S., & Haage, A. (1994). Leserwünsche als Herausforderung. Neue Impulse für die Tageszeitung. Bonn: Zeitungsverlag Service. SCP, G. (1987). Examining newspapers. What research reveals about America’s newspapers. London: The Sage Commtext Series. Stone, G. (1987). Examining newspapers. What research reveals about America’s newspapers. London: The Sage Commtext Series. TNS Nipo (2007). Zestig procent vindt betalen voor nieuws onzin. Retrieved May 8, 2007, from http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2007/05_mei/ 08/ binnenland/0508_1130_dag_enquete_nieuws.xml Webster, J.G., & Phalen, P.F. (1997). The mass audience: Rediscovering the dominant model. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Zaller, J. (2003). A new standard of news quality: burglar alarms for the monitorial citizen. Political Communication, 20(2), 109-130. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 26 Appendix A: Questionnaire items (Dutch version) Sociodemografische kenmerken Nationaliteit Leeftijd Geslacht Huidige of hoogst genoten opleiding Nieuwsconsumptiepatroon Betaalde krant Gratis krant Televisie Internet Radio Mobiele nieuwsdiensten Ander nieuwsmedium Leestijd kranten Maandag Dinsdag Woensdag Donderdag Vrijdag Zaterdag Zondag Gebruik openbaar vervoer Hoe vaak reis je gemiddeld met het openbaar vervoer? De wereld monitoren Ik wil de wereld om mij heen begrijpen. Het nieuws informeert mij over dagelijkse dingen. Ik word leergierig van het nieuws. Ik wil weten hoe de samenleving in elkaar zit. Ik wil weten wat er zou kunnen gebeuren. Ik wil op de hoogte blijven van wat de overheid doet. Ik wil op de hoogte blijven van het internationale nieuws. Interesse in nieuwsonderwerpen Sport Internationale politiek Nationale politiek Cultuur Economie Televisie Lokaal nieuws Film Nieuwsformat Artikelen in kranten moeten kort zijn. Ik lees graag nieuwsberichten die dieper op de zaak ingaan. Ik wil vooral snel een indruk kunnen krijgen van het nieuws. Wat ik oppik uit het nieuws, gebruik ik vaak in gesprekken met anderen. Het is belangrijker dat nieuwsberichten actueel zijn, dan dat ze zorgvuldig geschreven zijn. Als ik de krant lees, bekijk ik voornamelijk de koppen. Zelfeffectiviteit Het lezen van een krant kost mij veel energie. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 27 De leesbaarheid van de krant is goed: ik lees de krant gemakkelijk weg. Ik heb vaak te weinig voorkennis om een nieuwsbericht goed te begrijpen. Ik vind het nieuws in de krant vaak te complex. Ik moet moeite doen om een krant te pakken te krijgen. Faciliterende condities Ik heb voldoende geld om een betaalde krant te kunnen lezen. Ik reis vaak met het openbaar vervoer. Het lezen van de krant vind ik een goede tijdsbesteding. Op plekken waar ik dagelijks kom, tref ik vaak een krant aan. Als ik een krant wil lezen, kan ik daar gemakkelijk over beschikken. Ik heb voldoende tijd om een krant te kunnen lezen. Gewoonte Ik ben verslaafd aan het nieuws. Ik mis de krant als ik hem niet lees. Het lezen van de krant is voor mij een dagelijks automatisme. Het lezen van de krant geeft me een vertrouwd gevoel. Als ik het nieuws wil volgen, is het lezen van de krant een voor de hand liggende keuze. Krant lezen als tijdsbesteding Ik lees de krant als ik niets beters heb te doen. Ik lees de krant omdat ik hem nu eenmaal tegenkom op bepaalde plekken. Voor het lezen van de krant maak ik bewust tijd vrij. Ik lees de krant als ik mij verveel. Ik lees de krant als er niemand is om mee te praten. Bereidheid tot betalen Betaald nieuws biedt mij meerwaarde boven gratis nieuws. Het is overbodig om te betalen voor nieuws. Ik ben bereid om voor nieuws te betalen. Gedrag van relevante anderen Ik zie mensen om me heen geregeld de krant lezen. In het gezin waarin ik ben opgegroeid nam de krant een belangrijke plaats in. Mensen die ik respecteer, vinden dat ik een krant moet lezen. Ik zie mijn collega’s of klasgenoten geregeld de krant lezen. Ik lees de krant omdat een groot deel van de mensen om mij heen de krant leest. Andere mensen vinden dat ik de krant moet lezen. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 28 Appendix B: Questionnaire items (English version) Socio-demografic characteristics Age Sex Education News consumption pattern Paid newspaper Free newspaper Television Internet Radio Mobile news services Other news source Newspaper reading time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Use of public transportation How often do you travel with public transportation? Surveillance needs I want to understand the World. The news informs me about daily life. The news makes me want to learn more. I want to learn about society. I want to learn what might happen. I want to keep up with government. I want to keep up with international news. Interest in news subjects Sports International politics National politics Economics Culture Television Local news Film News format Articles in newspapers have to be short. I like to read in-depth articles. I want a quick overview of the news. What I get out of the news do I use in small talks. It is more important that articles are up to date, than that they are written punctually. When I read the paper, I mainly scan the headlines. Self-efficacy Newspaper reading costs me a lot of energy. The readability of the newspaper is good: I read the paper easily. Most times I lack the foreknowledge to understand the news item. Newspaper Reading Among Young Adults 29 Most times the news in the paper is too complicated. I have to try hard to get a newspaper. Facilitating conditions I have enough money to be able to read a paid newspaper. I travel by public transportation frequently. Newspaper reading is a good way to pass time. In places I daily visit, I normally find newspapers. When I’d like to read a newspaper, I have easy access to it. I have enough time to be able to read a newspaper. Habit I am a news junkie. I miss the newspaper when I don’t read it. Newspaper reading is part of my daily routine. Newspaper reading gives me familiar feeling. When I want to follow the news, newspaper reading is a self-evident choice. Newspaper reading as pastime I read the newspaper when I have nothing better to do. I read the newspaper because I find it in some places. For newspaper reading I set some time apart. I read the newspaper when I am bored. I read the newspaper when there’s no one else to talk to. Willingness to pay Paid news has to surplus value to me above free news. It is useless to pay for news. I am willing to pay for news. Social environment I see people around me reading a paper frequently. In the family I grown up, the newspaper had an important role. People I respect take the view I have to read a newspaper. I see my colleagues or classmates reading a newspaper frequently. I read a newspaper because a big part of the people around me reads a newspaper. Other people take the view I have to read a newspaper.