PEOPLE & NEWS
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Digital News Report 2014
In partnership with
Background and methodology
One of the largest news surveys in the world –online news habits of more than 18,000 people in ten countries
Research conducted online in January/early February 2014
Additional analysis of key themes, country level insights from network of partners
*
Key points
 Role of smartphones a key agent of change
 Traditional media continues to dominate online usage in the UK, but
this is not the case everywhere
 Payment for news and the move to subscription
 Rise of the reporter as a key focus of trust and engagement
Smartphones and
tablets
Strong growth in SMARTPHONE news access
Consistent pattern of strong growth in all markets
37% access news weekly
ALL TEN COUNTRIES
2012
2013
2014
52%
43%
35%
33%
28% 29%
28% 28%
24%
20%
UK
USA
32%
31%
France
•
8b Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
•
Base: All (total sample in each country)
32%
21% 22%
Germany
Denmark
Strong growth in TABLET access
UK penetration now higher than US – but still behind Denmark
20% access news weekly
ALL TEN COUNTRIES
2012
2013
2014
36%
25%
23%
20%
16%
19%
16%
11%
11%
8%
6%
UK
17%
USA
10%
13%
6%
France
•
8b Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week?
•
Base: All (total sample in each country)
Germany
Denmark
Impact and value of new devices
• Increasing the frequency with which we access the news
• Increasing the access points for news
“in the café or at the bus it’s right there, you
have all the news at your fingertips”
• Encouraging payment for news
Smartphone and tablet demographics
Smartphones are still more popular with younger age groups. Tablets are
used equally through age groups but with a significant bulge with the 3555 group. Smartphone news users and Tablet news users both skew
male
Smartphone and tablet by age
18-24
56%
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
44-54 group (+7%) driving
tablet growth
55%
48%
35-44 group (+9%) driving
smartphone growth
35%
22%
Smartphone
20%
23%
25%
23%
17%
Tablet
Use of apps increases with smartphone and tablet
Smartphone users are more likely to use apps than mobile browser
SMARTPHONE
2013
47%
41%
Mainly apps
2014
42%
38%
Apple users
are significantly
more likely to use
news apps to
download an app
from a store (59%
vs. 37% non
iPhone owners)
mainly browser
OPT9a. Thinking specifically about when you look for news on a MOBILE, which of the following statements
most applies to you? Please select one
Smartphone users tend to access fewer new sources
and brands with strong app propositions do best
On a smartphone, news
brands with strong app
proposition such as the BBC
and Sky News & Mail Online
tend to thrive. General
aggregators are losing out
Multiplatform world
In general new devices are not replacing TV, radio or print, though usage
patterns are changing an becoming more complex
From brand’s point of view …
It’s an increasingly complex world. Different devices are used at different
points through the day
From audience’s point of view …
GENERATIONAL SPLIT: Older people prefer a newspaper ‘edition’ or scheduled ‘TV
broadcasts’, whereas younger respondents access news throughout the day –
mainly online
Newspaper brands
overall reach
Newspaper usage across platforms
With the exception of France and USA, newspapers reach three quarters of all those
interested in news - through a combination of print and online.
Combined reach
Online newspaper
93%
82%
83%
67%
81%
68%
78%
75%
75%
74%
67%
72%
58%
35%
31%
Finland
Denmark
Spain
Italy
Germany
55%
49%
48%
Japan
Urban
Brazil
UK
40%
33%
USA
Q5. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week?
Base: All markets 2014 – UK: 2082; Germany: 2063; Spain: 2017; Italy: 2010; France: 1946; Denmark: 2036;
Finland: 1520; USA: 2197; Urban Brazil: 1015; Japan: 1973
France
New challengers
Huff Post
Buzzfeed
US
17%
5%
UK
9%
3%
Italy
5%
-
France
5%
1%
Spain
4%
1%
Germany
3%
1%
Brazil
-
1%
Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week?
Showing answers for Huff Post and Buzzfeed only
UK brands suffering less disruption
Paying for news
Paying for news
Overall numbers still low but an increasing proportion are moving to online
subscription with 1. Times 2. Telegraph 3. Sun
Who is paying for online news?
Motivations for paying for news
Motivations for paying for news
Role of the reporter as
driver of engagement
The influence and value of individual journalists
In Spain, France and the United States the journalist is considered
important for trust. In UK, Finland and Germany the brand is the most
important driver
The influence and value of individual journalists
In Spain, France and the United States the journalist is considered
important for trust. In UK, Finland and Germany the brand is the most
important driver
Who follows “news” accounts among Twitter users
64% of Twitter users follow a professional news account
• 48% follow a journalist
• 40% follow a breaking news account
• 28% follow a general newsbrand
Launch:
Thursday 12th June
Edelman, London
Friday 13th June
Editors News Summit, Barcelona
More Information
www.digitalnewsreport.org
A closer look
at newsbrands
in the
digital world
Newspaper brand readers are deeply
involved with all things digital
MORE…
 Devices
 Interest
 Engagement
 Social
 Interactive
 Experimental
Digital newspaper brand readers are.....
56%
more likely
than the average
internet user
to read news on a
tablet
Digital newspaper readers are.....
36%
more likely
to read news on a
smartphone
Digital newspaper brand readers are.....
67%
more likely
use Twitter for news
Digital newspaper readers are more likely to
access
Newspaper brands reach nearly three-quarters
of the UK online audience
72% = 29.5
accessed a newspaper
in any format during
the last week
million readers
Q5 Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? All UK daily
and Sunday titles, print & online, plus London Evening Standard , Metro. Excl. national newspaper
in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Base: 2082 UK internet users
Which platforms do newspaper
readers use?
% of all newspaper readers using each format last week
Tablet
15%
Print
84%
Computer
36%
Smartphone
16%
Base: 1494 newspaper readers
Youngest readers favour digital newsbrands
85%
79%
72%
63%
67%
63%
79%
72%
63%
54%
49%
43%
47%
38%
37%
34%
30%
28%
18-24
25 to 34
35 to 44
Read any newspaper last week
45 to 54
Print newspaper
Q5 Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? All UK daily
and Sunday titles, print & online, plus London Evening Standard , Metro. Excl. national newspaper
in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Base: 2082 UK internet users
55-64
65+
Digital newspaper
Most popular commercial news source
41%
Digital newspaper
39%
Print newspaper
30%
Facebook
ITV broadcast
10%
Sky TV news
11%
35%
16%
18-20
16%
21-24
13%
10%
YouTube
9%
10%
Sky online
Commercial radio
46%
26%
23%
Twitter
ITV online
56%
1%
6%
6%
4%
Q5 /Q12B Which, if any, of the following have you used for news in the last week?
Base: 124 aged 18-20, 143 aged 21-24
Impact of devices
% accessing digital newspaper brands last week
One device
Two devices
Three+ devices
37
50
65
%
%
Base: 1598 device users
%
Tablet newspaper readers
4.5m
read newspapers on
their tablet last week
Base: Total sample 2082 internet users who have accessed the news
Tablet readers are highly engaged with
newspapers overall
People who read news on their tablet...
46%
read a newspaper on tablet
AND
Base:481 who access news via their tablet
54%
read a digital newspaper
65%
read a print newspaper
81%
total newspaper readership
Smartphone newspaper readers
4.9m
read newspapers on their
smartphone last week
Base: Total sample 2082 internet users who have accessed the news
Smartphone readers are highly engaged with
newspapers overall
People who read news on their smartphone...
35%
read a newspaper on phone
AND
Base: 635 who access news via their smartphone
48%
read a digital newspaper
57%
read a print newspaper
73%
total newspaper readership
Which devices do digital newspaper
readers use?
% of all digital newspaper readers using each device last week
71%
33%
30%
Computer
Smartphone
Tablet
Base: 746 digital newspaper readers (Q5), users of each device who accessed digital newspaper last week (Q19): computer 554,
smartphone 245, tablet 225
More frequent access
70%
21%
66%
62%
UK internet users
57%
Several times a day
24%
24%
28%
Once a day
Q1b Typically, how often do you access news?
Base: 2082 internet users (excl those who had not accessed news in previous month), 1253 print, 746 digital, 505 print + digital
newspaper readers
More interested
Print + digital newspapers
UK internet users
19%
29%
52%
55%
29%
News Lovers
16%
Daily Briefers
Base: 2082 internet users, 505 print + digital newspaper readers
Casual users
Multiplatform readers are more interested in news
% Very/extremely interested in news
79%
Print + digital newspapers
75%
Digital newspapers
72%
Print newspapers
UK internet users
64%
Q1c. How interested, if at all, would you say you are in news?
Base: 2082 internet users, 1253 print, 746 digital, 505 print + digital newspaper readers
News lovers read newspapers
84%
of News Lovers are
newspaper readers
=
8.1
million readers
Digital newspaper readers more
engaged with fast and slow news
More likely to have……
Used an app
Looked at a list of
news headlines
Read longer news
stories or articles
Read a news
blog
Followed a live
news page
within a website
Looked at a sequence
or gallery of pictures
about news
Listened to
news audio
Viewed a news
graphic/infographic
Watched news
video
Digital newspaper readers more engaged with fast and
slow news
59%
Looked at a list of news headlines
43%
Read longer news stories or articles
Watched news video
Look at a sequence or gallery of pictures about news
Used an “app” on my smartphone to access news
Followed a live news page within a website
Used an “app” on my tablet to access news
Read a news blog
Listened to news audio
Viewed a news graphic (infographic)
UK internet users
16%
23%
14%
20%
13%
20%
8%
12%
7%
12%
7%
13%
5%
9%
4%
7%
Digital newspaper readers
Q11. Thinking of the way you looked at news online in the last week, which of the following ways of
consuming news did you use? Base: 2082 accessing news last week, 746 digital newspaper readers
61%
74%
More active on social networks
Multiplatform newspaper
readers are 75% more likely
to share a news story
Multiplatform newspaper
readers are 75% more likely
to comment on a news story
Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage?
Base: 2082 UK internet users, 505 print + digital newspaper readers
More active on social networks
56% of all people sharing
news via social media are
digital newspaper readers
55% of all people who
comment on a news story
are digital newspaper
readers
Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage?
Base: 2082 UK internet users, 746 digital newspaper readers
More active, more frequently
Digital and multiplatform newspaper
readers share, comment
and discuss with friends
more often than average
internet user
OPTQ13B How frequently do you do each of the following? Base: 2082 UK internet users, 746 digital newspaper readers
505 print + digital newspaper readers
Paying for news
49%
47%
17%
7%
Bought a printed newspaper
UK internet users
Paid for digital news
Digital newspaper readers
Brand and journalists create loyalty
45%
Broad range
57%
43%
Access when/where I want
32%
Brand I prefer
37%
Quality of specific journalists
33%
38%
45%
18%
18%
Special offers/subscribers’ club
No other way to access valued
content
Quality of specific area
18%
Start subscription
Stay subscribed
12%
10%
19%
OPTQ7b&c. What were the three most important factors in taking an online news subscription in the first place? What are the most important
factors in keeping you subscribed to an online news product (chose up to three) Base: 78 digital newspaper readers with subscription
Brand and journalists create trust
% saying important contributor to trust in news source
74%
63%
59%
44%
Brand
UK internet users
Journalists
Multi-platform newspaper readers
Q5e_1. To what extent are the following important to you in terms of whether you trust a source of news. Base:2082
internet users, 505 print + digital newspaper readers
Summary for newspaper brands
 Central, influential role
 Massive audience – 73% of UK online population
 New audiences and interactions
 Growth through devices
 Trusted destinations
More information
 www.newsworks.org.uk
 www.digitalnewsreport.org