Digital news as popular as newspapers for first time
25 Jun 2014 03:02 PM
- Consuming news on
websites or apps is now as popular as reading
newspapers
- TV remains the most
popular way to consume news
Accessing news on the web and
mobile apps is now as popular as reading a newspaper, new Ofcom research
finds.
Some 41% of people say they now
access news on websites and apps, up significantly from 32% in
2013.
Four in ten people (40%) say
that they read newspapers to follow the news, which is unchanged year on year,
according to Ofcom’s News Consumption in the UK report.
At the same time, using websites
or apps has overtaken the radio (36%) to catch-up on the news (see chart
below).
Younger people (16-24) are
driving the surge in consuming news on the internet or apps, with 60% doing so
in 2014, up from 44% last year. Some 45% of 16-24s said that websites or apps
were their most important sources for news, up by a half over the year (30% in
2013).
TV news still most
popular
TV remains the most popular way
to consume news with 75% tuning in during 2014, compared to 78% in
2013.
There has also been a fall in
people saying that a TV channel is their most important source for news (from
62% in 2013 to 54% in 2014).
The amount of news watched on TV
also varies with age. The over 55s watch an average of 196 hours of TV news
each year. This compares to 27 hours for 16-24 year olds, who watch 88 fewer
hours of TV news than the average UK adult (115 hours a year).
Those aged over 55 are nearly
twice as likely to name a TV channel as their most important source of news,
compared to the 16-to-24s (65% compared to 36%). More younger adults also
don’t watch any news on TV (44% versus 25% across all
adults).
Younger people more
mobile for news
The rise in digital news is
driven by increased mobile and tablet use among younger people (16-24). They
are ten times more likely than those aged 55 and over to access news on a
mobile (40% versus 4%) and twice as likely via a tablet (15% versus
7%).
This could explain why more
16-24s said they caught up on news to pass the time (17% versus 9% for over
55s) as mobiles and tablets allow them to surf the web and apps on the
move.
Despite younger people having
easier access to news on apps and the web, one in 10 people aged 16-24 say they
don’t follow the news. This compares to 5% across all adults and just 3%
for the over 55s.
The top three reasons UK adults
give for following the news is to know what’s going on in the world
(58%), across the UK (56%) and in their local area (49%). Those aged 55+ are
more likely to give more reasons for following news, suggesting a stronger
engagement.
ENDS
NOTES FOR
EDITORS
- An infographic highlighting
Ofcom’s research into news consumption is published on theOfcom website.
- The research conducted includes
an omnibus survey of 2,731 people across the UK commissioned by Ofcom
(conducted by Kantar Media) in March/April 2014. Other data used includes Ofcom
local media omnibus (Ipsos Mori); metrics on television viewing from BARB; and newspaper
readership figures from the National
Readership Survey.