Monday, September 13, 2010

New Survey Results

The Pew Center recently released the results of their study on the people and the press. I'd like you to read the overview, which can be found here. I'd like you to post with two findings that you thought were surprising and what social implications could result from them.

33 comments:

Megan said...

There were several facts in this article that I found shocking. The two that was most shocking to me was that 17% of Americans received no new yesterday and that there has been no increase in time spent with news among older and younger age groups.

I can not believe that with all of the technology we have that 17% of Americans received no news yesterday. That is hard to fathom. You can not even turn your radio on without hearing some form of news. Unless people are driving/riding to work, school, etc. playing cd's or listening to ipods, they had to have heard some form of news. I am not a regular listener/watcher of the news but on my way to take my daughter to school in the mornings, I hear news on the radio, although a may change the station.

There has been no increase in time spent with news among older and younger age groups. With all of the technology that is available, I surely thought that the younger age group would have increase dramatically. There are so many ways to receive news, information, etc these days. We do not even have to go looking for it. We can have it sent straight to our phones and computers. This to me is sad.


Megan Copley

Taylor Lang said...

It’s no surprise that digital platforms lead to Americans spending more time with the news than they did a decade ago. I know that personally, I check the news on my phone daily as opposed to watching t.v. or other traditional news sources. In pharmaceutical sales, I spend most of my day in office waiting rooms to receive time with the doctor, so it makes sense to fill that time in with catching up on the news. One finding that I found interesting was that “69% of those with some post-graduate experience got news through a digital source yesterday; this also is the group that sowed the largest rise in time spent with the news from 2006-2008 to 2010.” This makes sense to me seeing that the online reporting tools and software innovation has given business more tools to operate more effectively and efficiently. This is the same through behind the MSU’s Distance MBA program and the digital platform that this program is delivered on. The table entitled “Increase in Time Spent with News Driven by the Highly-Educated and Middle –Aged” tells that those individuals that are highly educated spend more time using innovative software and online resources, leading to increased time getting their news from digital sources.

Another finding that I found interesting was that “While 26% of all Americans say they read a print newspaper yesterday, that figure falls to just 8% among adults younger than 30.” Mirroring the idea that the digital age has lead to an overall increase in the time spent behind a computer is that traditional newspapers pass the printing cost on to consumers, while online news sources get their revenue from pop-ups and banner advertising. I would rather spend my money on things other than subscribing to a traditional newspaper, and

john ray said...

What finding that was particularly suprising and interesting to me was that " in 2008 67% of liberal Democrats said they enjoyed the news a lot, compared with just 45% today." I believe this is because in 2008 the democrats or liberals were pushing to have Obama elected. Now that he is president and they have seen the results or lack there of, most don't want to hear about what he has or has not done. At the time, the news fit their agenda's and now it does not, so they do not follow the news as closely.

Another finding that is interesting is that almost every news channel other than Fox News has had a decline in viewers. Fox has actually had an increase in the last couple of years. I believe that Fox is very biased and uses their platform to promote their own cause. The increase of viewers is most likely directly linked to disgruntled Republicans or conservatives. This statistic is scary because the power and influence of mainstream media is clearly evident.

John Ray

LHipp said...

I am surprised only 17 percent of those surveyed are visiting newspaper web sites. I thought that number would be higher. I am not surprised readership of the print product continues to decline at 26 percent this year. As a recovering print journalist, it is disheartening to see newspapers continue to fail to monetize online readership. Fewer print readers means lower circulation, which means lower ad rates. Newspapers still have not figured out how to make the same money online. And with less money from ads, newsroom staff will shrink. Stories from newspapers provide the basis for stories in radio, TV and blogs. With no print reporters to tell the stories, the talking heads and bloggers in their pajamas will have nothing to report, meaning there’s no one to watch the democracy and keep those in power in check.

I also was a little surprised more people didn’t report getting their news from Twitter or Facebook. I personally, I have learned of celebrity deaths, sports scores and local events from Facebook. Of course, I also have ‘fanned’ news sites and have journalist friends or friends concerned with celebrity nonsense. I expect that percentage to rise, as social media sites will only become more popular. You will see news sources learn how to better utilize those sites also. Of course, does that mean the future of our news must be condensed into a 140 characters or the like? As a society, we’ll only know the headlines.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

I found many of the findings surprising, so the most difficult part of this discussion is limiting the findings to two items.
The first item that I will mention is that I was surprised that 24 percent of viewers regularly recorded news programs using TiVo or DVR systems. This number seemed high me; maybe because I have never used my DVR to record a news show. News has become very instantaneous with 24 hour news programming and constant access to the internet; therefore, it seems odd that this many viewers recorded a news show rather than seeking another avenue of news when they are unable to watch it at the normal broadcast time.
The second item I found surprising was that 35 percent of people read a book yesterday and that only 4 percent of those readers read a digital book. I find the 35 percent to be higher than I would have expected and the 4 percent to be much lower than I would have expected. I recently read that approximately half of all books are now sold in a digital format. Additionally, when I travel (which is a couple times a month); I see much more than 4 percent of readers using a digital format. When taking these things into consideration, it is difficult to believe that there are not more readers using digital books.

Robert Prestininzi
(rap201)

Unknown said...

There was many facts in the article that I seem. The most shocking to me was that 17% of americans received no new yesterday. But now they spent more time watching the new than they ever did in decade ago. Because I make sure I see the new at 6pm.

Most younger people don't spent time watching the new at all. I thought with all of the technology that is available. The younger people would keep up with the new to see what going on in their surround. They stay on the computer, cellphone for the wrong reason.

Daniel said...

The fact that only 44% of americans goth their news from internet or a mobile digital device was quite surprising to me. I thought that this number would be well over 50%. I use my phone or internet at home several times a day to check on what is happening in the world. Even if this trend continues, I do not belirve there would be any real societal implications. People may just not find out news as fast as those who use these methods to obtain their news.

The other fact that surprised me the most is that only 8% of people under the age of 30 read a printed newspaper yesterday. I figured that the number would be low, but only 8%. If this trend continues, there are only a few years left that newspapers will be around.

Daniel Ray

Melissa Laster said...

One thing that really shocks me in this article is the 17% that say they got no news yesterday. I find it hard to believe that you don't walk by a magazine or newspaper. Sometime during the day you must hear a TV on or the radio playing and the news comes on. It is hard to think about somebody now a days not getting news. I believe that this will change. In society I believe that everybody will get to the point where they hear or see the news at some point during the day.

Another thing that I find hard to believe is that people today are only spending an additional 13 minutes getting news online. I think that more people sit at work with nothing to do and get online and see news on yahoo or sites that are their homepage. I think that with social networking sites you can get news also. People today are always on Facebook or Myspace and Twitter. That means people can be getting news all day long. I think that with the Internet people will start getting the news more during the day.

Melissa Laster said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jessimpson said...

It is not surprising that more and more people are using their digital devices to gain the news. However, I thought it was interesting with the decline of the newspapers sales, online readership is growing. After studying the decline of the newspaper last semester, I thought perhaps it was becoming extinct. If the newspapers' websites can gather more advertisements, then perhaps the decline in newspapers' sales will not be such a significant loss in the long-run. I also thought it very interesting that most read the national newspapers like the New York Times, etc.

It is also very shocking to me that there has been a decline with liberal Democrats enjoying keeping up with the news while the numbers with conservative Republicans has not changed. I wonder if this is because of the push for the Republicans to gain back the house majority and their push to get Republicans back in office. It never fails to amaze me the divide between liberals and conservatives. If this continues, I believe the Democrats might be defeated. The Republicans might take back the house and the country.
Jessica Simpson

bkp36 said...

This was a very informative article. There were a few things that surprised me but I would have to say the two that were the most surprising was, first, yesterday those who were informed of news spent 70 minutes which was up from previous polls. That seems like so much time in today’s society. I would have thought since news is more readily accessible it would take less time to receive the information. I believe the effect on society is positive but yet a reflection of the times. Many people are very insecure with the current status of America. I think often we are looking for hope or something positive in the news. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often enough.

Secondly, I was totally shocked that 17% of those surveyed did not get any news yesterday? Where are they? Under a rock? We have a responsibility to know what is going on. I guess I may be showing my age but I want to know what is happening in the WORLD that is going to directly affect my world and my family’s future. This number cannot increase. I feel if it does, it will be saying Americans haven given up.

B Paganelli

emdaco said...

This article had many surprising facts two or the most shocking were that 17% of Americans received no form of news yesterday, and the second was that only 44% of people used some form of technology to view news. I find it hard to believe that 17% saw/heard no news, even while riding in the car, interacting in society or even logging on to a computer. It seems impossible that one could be so seclude from the world, even when just going on a computer to check your email articles still pop up. Secondly it seems that a lot more than 44% of people would use technology to view the news, even with local newspapers I do not read a hard copy they are all viewable online. Another reason I thought this number was low, is that going green seems to be so strongly pushed you would think more people would be using technology to view the news. I could understand if people choose not to view the news because they may find all the criminal activity or current economy depressing, but at the same time 17% is an alarming number to be completely out of touch with current issues.

Emily Conroy

Anonymous said...

Skw98

Americans Spending More Time Following the News is a very interesting article that had many fascinating, as well as surprising facts. When I read that 17% of Americans say that they got no news yesterday, I was very surprised. It surprises me because how can you not hear any form of news in one day? There are so many forms of news and ways that you can get it such as cell phones, podcasts, social networks, email, twitter, facebook, etc. I just find it surpising that someone doesn't get any form of news in a given day. Even if they're in the car, in a subway, or see it on a billboard, they can still seek news there.

The second fact that I found surprising was that only 14% of the public correctly answered a four question current events quiz. It seems like people would care to know more about current events; some people watch what they call "news" when it's watching celebrity news that really doesn't at all inform them of what is going on in the world.

I think that people are on facebook, twitter, social networks, etc. for personal reasons rather than informing themselves of news because these sites are more for gossip, social purposes, and advertisement.

Sara Walters

Paula said...

The fact that 17% of the Americans that didn't get news on yesterday was shocking to me as well. It's hard to believe that no news was received because we receive news by word of mouth. Maybe, it's the form in which the nes was received but nonetheless it is news.

Another thing is that the younger people do receive news by word of mouth as oppose to hearing it on the radio or through cell phones ,etc. When things go down in school or on the streets young people always have a heads up about what's going on our in society and local community. Also, the article stated that 83% of Americans are getting the news in some form.

Paula Gaylor

lhw55 said...

After reading the survey results in the article were very interesting to me. Some of the results are findings that make sense due to today's technology. We today can do anything with the Internet and it's now easy for us to receive the news by the click of a button or a text message to our phones. The idea that more people are interested in the news and that it is switching to more of a digital base should not come as a surprise.
However some of the findings in the survey did catch me off guard. The results that liberals are not as interested in the news these days was surprising. When I watch the news I find that most of the channels cast the news in a light that would appeal to liberals. The more that I think about it I can see that whatever party is in office the media is going to cast a negative light on that administration and turn off their constituents from the news.
I was also surprised that the rates of people who watched tv have remained high. I would assume that with the rise of the Internet that people would use it as it's primary source for the news, but the results show that Americans keep the television news as their source for what's going on in the world around them. Twitter, cell phones, and the Internet defiantly ease our way of getting information, but we will never loose our desire to get the news from our televisions in our homes.

Unknown said...

This was a very interesting article even for someone like me that does not spend a lot of time watching the news. It was interesting to know that 17% of the individuals used in this survey say they go no news yesterday. Even though I am not an avid news watcher I normally take a quick look when I turn on my laptop. With all that is going on in the world with our economy, November elections and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, it shocks me that this percentage is so high and there was little change from last year’s percentage. I find this hard to believe with availability of so many digital and traditional platforms for new coverage.
I found it hard to believe there has been a decline in the number of liberals that said they enjoyed the news a lot. With President Obama in the White House you would think they would be monitoring his progress toward their liberal causes on a daily basis. This finding was just the opposite for Republicans. The percentage of Republicans keeping up with the news today is about the same as it was two years ago. The Republican percentage does not surprise me, but the liberal percentages are much lower than you would expect.
Elizabeth Wade

Hunter Boerner said...

I agree with Robert that there were many surprising findings in the article, but the two that stuck out to me the most were that three quarters of Americans still get news from the TV, print and radio, and only 9 percent got news through the internet and mobile technology. I was fully convinced, before I read the article, that internet was completely taking over all other forms of media for news and news distribution. These findings show that people are still reading the paper and wanting hard news, but they might just be getting it through a different source, like the internet.

The social implications that could result from one third of Americans still getting news from TV, print, and radio should be that these media outlets should continue to grow and employ more people because this business is still thriving. Journalism needs to be continued in high school and college curriculum. The statistic that only 9 percent just get news from the internet and mobile technology should imply that the internet and social media sites are not the best way to spread news coverage most effectively.

Henry and Susanne said...

Much of what was contained in the report did not come as a surprise, but there were a few facts I was not expecting. First, the fact that Americans spend almost 3 extra minutes a day consuming news was not what I would have guessed. I would assume that the increase in digital media would cannibalize more traditional news outlets. However, when I stop and think about it, the last decade has caused people to be almost addicted to the news. In my mind, it all started with 9/11. I know that I personally pay a lot more attention to the term "breaking news" after that day.

The second fact that I find surprising is the gap between the percentages of men and women who get their news online (50% for men versus 39% for women). Since the mid 1990's, I would have assumed that the use patterns of digital media with men and women would have been very similar. The recently popularity of smart phones is another area where I would assume similar use between the sexes. This made me ask my wife what she reads when she's either online at home or on her phone. Her answer was celbrity news!

Henry Allen

Renita Moore said...

With the way that America is growing in technology, I was amazed that the numbers were not higher on cell phones, twitter, and facebook. I figured the young people would have caused this area to sky rocket.
All newscasts except Fox had a decline does not shock me because people love to be entertained. Watching Fox News is messy, so the viewers are very alert and amused by watching them cut up. It is the worst newscast that I have ever heard with many biases.

Renita Moore said...

With the way that America is growing in technology, I was amazed that the numbers were not higher on cell phones, twitter, and facebook. I figured the young people would have caused this area to sky rocket.
All newscasts except Fox had a decline does not shock me because people love to be entertained. Watching Fox News is messy, so the viewers are very alert and amused by watching them cut up. It is the worst newscast that I have ever heard with many biases.

Nick said...
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Nick said...

One of the statistics that worries me is the decline in reading of the newspaper (print or online). The newspaper is more than likely a person’s source for local news coverage. I feel that a lot of times people get so wrapped up in the President, that they forget the fact that they have local mayors, commissioners, councilmen, etc right under their noses. Many times people seem oblivious to them in my opinion and these people probably have more of a direct impact on their lives then any Senator, Congressman or President could have. And if they are turning to their local newspaper, how are they getting this information?

Another statistic that jumps out to me is the fact that 80% of people 18-40 get their news from Colbert Report or 74% from The Daily Show. The simple fact that either of these are even considered news sources is rather confusing to me. Does the view get some news on current events, I guess so. I may be wrong, but I’m under the full impression that these shows are meant for comedic humor and every now and then toss in a story about a politician that they can poke fun at. These viewers may as well just tune into to Saturday Night Live Weekend Update or The Onion to get the important topics.

Nick Abernathy

Cperkins said...

I felt like it was strange only 9% get their news from internet without using traditional sources. I felt like with the push of technology and the increase of mobile phones that have internet on them more people would have used them as their sole source of news. In addition to the above finding, I found it strange that only 31% access the internet on their phones.

I was also surprised to learn that 25% of people tivo or dvr news programs. With the instantaneous news on CNN, Fox, or Headline News stations, I would assume this would be lower.

Carolyn Perkins

scacapit said...

I found it shocking that so few people didnt recieve news yesterday. I thought that more people didn't watch the news than 17% of Americans. You would think the number of people not watching the news would be higher.

I also found it interesting that more young people werent watching the news. Since we are the it generation the techno freaks, I wonder why more of us arent getting into the news. I try to get some news in everyday but I guess thats just me.

Jeremy D. said...

• Far more men (50%) than women (39%) get news on digital platforms, such as the internet and mobile technology, on any given day. Men are more likely to get news by cell phone, email, RSS feeds or podcasts than are women. But men and women are equally likely to get news through Twitter or social networking sites.

I found this finding to be surprising because it has been my experience that women are way more technological than us guys. At least that’s how it is with the people I know. As far as what social implications could result from this finding, I don’t think any will. It is not that significant of a statistic to make a drastic change in how men and women receive their news.

• Most Facebook and Twitter users say they hardly ever or never get news there.
I find this statistic to be somewhat surprising. As an avid Facebook and Twitter user I must say that I sometimes do receive my news from these places. From local news to national news, I get the best of both worlds using these social networks. Especially with Twitter, where you have the option to follow different news stations. I like this aspect the most. I think as more and more users find out about this option, the face of news as it relates to distribution through social networks will drastically change.

Unknown said...

It is inconceivable that seventeen percent of Americans said they got no news at all yesterday. The news is available twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week through television, radio, newspapers and digital media. It is unbelievable that anyone would not be exposed to some type of news during a twenty-four hour period. The new technologies that have enhanced the access to the news provide so many more opportunities for people to remain informed of what is going on in the world.

I was also surprised that people are not actually giving up the news in print. I thought that people would tend to give up printed news in preference of the technical presentations through digital media. However, it appears that the digital platforms have served to increase the time that people spent on obtaining the news by providing additional means of access with the total daily time spent by Americans on the news being 70 minutes, an increase of 13 minutes.

It appears that people are spending more time on technical gadgets (cell phones, ipods, podcasts, social networks, email, Twitter, U-tube, etc.). As the technology increases, more and more time will be spent on these activities. This will eventually lead to less time for families to spend together which could have a detrimental effect on society.

clp said...

The most shocking finding I read was, “Currently, about two-in-ten say they believe all or most information from ABC News (21%), CBS News (21%) and NBC News (20%) – down from about three-in-ten in 1998.” That means that approximately 80% of news viewers question the credibility of the news. While I believe it is healthy for the public to question the news and want to research matters further, I would not watch a news source that I didn’t believe most of the information was true on. I could never blindly believe that all of the information on the news was true due to issues of human error or use of inaccurate sources, but I would like to believe that most of the information on the news is true. I feel that even networks with questionable objectivity endeavor to remain credible. To me this finding reflects negatively on society’s trust in the media. This reinforces that the media needs to engage and earn back the publics’ trust. Credibility should always remain the most important element to news media.
The second finding I read that was surprising to me was that only 17% of American received no news yesterday. I would have thought that there would be a much larger percentage of Americans who did not receive any news. I only know one person who watches the news daily. I myself have days that I receive no news at all, and I attempt to stay in tune with current events. While some may say it’s sad that 17% of Americans received no news, I am glad that 83% of Americans did receive news. I am thankful that 83% of our society is interested in the very least receiving some form of the news.

Codi Phillips

Anonymous said...

This article was filled was several interesting facts.
One thing surprising was the statistic that said only 17% of people that read a newspaper online yesterday. Most of the time I read newspapers online, and sometimes I visit the site several times a day. Just this week I probably visited several different newspaper websites multiple times during the day. I thought the number would be a lot higher than 17%.

Another thing that was surprising was that the age group I am in, 18-29, has actually had a decrease for hours of news they get a day. With all the things on the internet today on cell phones and laptops, my day is usually filled with a constant stream of news. Newspapers now have facebook pages and update their facebook page throughout the day with stories. Most of the 18-29 age group are constantly on facebook. In addition, other pages like twitter and tumblr have news sources to follow that are constantly giving news stories. With all the news sources available today I did not think that there would be a decrease. As soon as I got a blackberry a couple of years ago, the amount of news I got a day went from minutes to hours.

Ruth Robison

Rebecca G. said...

The most surprising fact to me was that most Facebook and Twitter users say they hardly ever get news there. I'm on Facebook at various times during the day and almost every time at least one of my friends has posted a link to some news article or made a status update regarding something in the news. While they may not be accessing a local or national news page or feed, I highly doubt they are not seeing some form of news on a regular basis.

The second most surprising thing to me was that only 14% of the public could correctly answer a four question quiz on current events. I don't always the news but hear about many things via word of mouth or during commercials when they advertise what is coming on the news broadcast, I would think the average person would know more about current events in this day and age.


Rebecca Grimes

drm198 said...

The first thing that I found shocking in the article was that 17% of the American people received no news. I do not see how in this day and age how what seems to be a rather large segment of the population can go the whole day with no news. Between newspapers, television, the internet and cell phones alone it would seem to not come across some type of news coverage, even if just by accident.

Secondly, the fact that only 17 percent of the people are viewing newspaper websites was a surprise to me as well. While I will admit that I am not surprised that the number of people who actually read a newspaper is dropping, I am surprised to see that so many people do not look at the website. I myself will look at the website more than to just grab the newspaper. At least the newspapers websites are updated rather frequently as opposed to the print version of the newspaper being printed just once a day.

Don Maher (drm198)

David said...

I found the artice shocking that there is such a reliance on sarcastic and non-journalistic reporting. I am disappointed that the younger generation is relying on the journalistic prowess of the Colbert Report on such amazing news channels as the Comedy Channel.
In todays world of media, there is infinite information for anyone who has there eyes open; however we must make sure we recognize or even validate the information as well as the perspective driving the report. I am not shocked that 17 percent of individuals received no news given that people only focus on whats important to them. Todays rigorous pace of increased work weeks and poor economic performance has more concerned about today in there local environment than news.

David Tuyo
(dlt174)p

Ebb said...

Fist what surprised me is the fact that only 44% of american people get their news from internet or a mobile phone is quite surprising to me. I thought that this number would be well over 50%. I'm constantly on my phone or internet at home trying to get the lastest, since most of the time I'm not here to get the local news.

The second thing surprising to me is that 35 percent of people have read a book and that only 4 percent of those have read,a digital book. I found that, to me much more higher than expected.