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Running head: DECLINING NEWSPAPER READERSHIP
The Newspaper Industry and Declining Readership
Pedro Rios
Rutgers University, Camden
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for Communications
Dr. Goertzel
April 20, 2006
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Abstract
Over the past 20 years, newspaper readership in the United States has been steadily declining
especially among the 18-30 age group. Using the information found in the General Social
Survey the study examined this decline. It was hypothesized that (H1) people that come from
educated families will be exposed to a newspaper much earlier and then therefore will continue
to read the paper as an adult and (H2) adults that have completed higher education are also more
likely to read the newspaper. It was found that both education and social class have a significant
effect on newspaper readership.
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The Newspaper Industry and
Declining Readership
Over the past 20 years, newspaper readership in the United States has been steadily
declining. The decline has been most discernible among young adults (age 18-30). With the
sheer number of media outlets in existence, the newspaper industry is having a difficult time
sustaining its readers. The advent of new technology is having a profound effect on how young
adults get their news. More specifically, young adults are increasingly relying on the internet
and television for news and current events. The newspaper industry is in precarious situation, as
it must now determine a way to not only keep its current readers, but also simultaneously attract
younger readers.
Peiser (2000) discusses the effect cohort replacement has on the newspaper industry in
the United States and Germany. According to Peiser, a cohort group is a group of people born at
about the same time and who grow up together (Peiser 2000). The cohort group is then exposed
to similar political, social, and cultural influences at roughly the same age. As people age, there
is a shift in the cohort group as one age group transitions into another cohort group. The previous
cohort group is then replaced by younger individuals. Peiser (2000) concludes that cohort
replacement is responsible for a significant amount of the decline in readership. Furthermore,
Peiser contends that cohort replacement has accounted for at least half of the decline in the
United States alone (Peiser 2000).
A major problem is that most of the information found in newspapers today is not being
adequately tailored to younger readers’ interests. Haitz (2003) chronicles a small county
newspaper in Pennsylvania, Centre Daily Times, and its approach in tackling this problem. Their
plan was to create a colorful tabloid wrap-around at the core of the newspaper entitled, Blue. The
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wrap-around is colorful and includes articles specifically written for younger readers. It has been
demonstrated that entertainment and sports sections are related to higher readership among adults
age 18-30. To demonstrate this, by the end of its first semester on Pennsylvania University’s
campus, Blue, a part of the Centre Daily Times, experienced a 10 percent increase in its pickup
rate (Haitz 2003).
Although newspaper readership is declining, Galper (1998) argues that most people do
not get their news from major national newspapers such as The New York Times, but rather from
various local papers. The internet appears to be a valuable source for those individuals who want
to be informed on more worldly affairs. The general public in the United States presumably care
more about local issues than news occurring half-way around the globe. In 1997 only 55.8
percent of American adults read a newspaper daily; this is compared to 80.8 percent in 1964
(Haitz 1998). Although readership has been in decline, newspapers are still relevant to
advertisers and a full page ad in a national paper such as The New York Times can reach more
people than radio or television (Galper 1998).
Declining numbers in readership have plagued the newspaper industry for several
decades now. In order to thrive, newspapers need a young talented staff, fresh ideas, and a solid
business plan (Haitz 2003). What makes this study unique is that it not only examines age but
education, as well. It is hypothesized that (H1) people that come from educated families will be
exposed to a newspaper much earlier and then therefore will continue to read the paper as an
adult and (H2) adults that have completed higher education are also more likely to read the
newspaper. Taking this into account, the newspaper industry needs to reach out to other groups,
beyond educated and/or wealthy adults. The study will examine additional alternatives to
encourage the newspaper industry to branch out to all groups and ages in an effort to increase
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readership, either via print of other forms of media.
Results
The data collected on newspaper readership in the United States is from the General
Social Survey combined file for 1972 through 2004. Table 1 is representative of the, Peiser
(2000), cohort replacement effect. As the years past there is less of a percentage of baby
boomers alive. This decline in the baby boomer generation follows the decline in daily
newspaper readership. In 1972 when the daily readership was first surveyed by the GSS there
was a high percentage of Boomers (27.67%), by 2002 only about 21% of boomers were still
alive and the daily readership declined from 68.6% in 1972 to 37.3% in 2000. Daily newspaper
readership was at its highest in 1972 when President Nixon was elected to office. Readership
has been rapidly declining for the past several decades. The most rapid decline in daily
readership took place between the years of 1994 and 1996 when the Republican Party gained
control over congress.
Table 1
80
70
60
50
Daily
Readership
40
% Boomers
30
20
10
0
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
Daily readership is most frequent among ages 50 and older (67.1%), whites (53.9%),
males(54.8%), college graduates(55.3%), and the upper class (65.6%) groups. On a weekly basis,
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ages 30 and under (48.4%), blacks (39.4%), females (35.3%), high school graduates (34.7%),
and the lower/working class (38.5%) read the newspaper most frequently. Finally, those under
30 (20%), blacks (20.4%), females (15.7%), high school drop outs (21.8%), and lower/working
class (28.2%) read the newspaper least frequently. Table 2 shows the results of a multiple
bivariate table demonstrating the relationships between newspaper readership and demographics
in the sample. The table shows that older, white, educated, upper class males are most likely to
read a newspaper on a daily basis in today’s society. The youth of our nation are not reading the
newspaper as frequently as adults in this country.
Table 2
Percentages of Newspaper Readership
Daily
Weekly
< Weekly
Total
< 30 Years of Age (N=6255)
31.7%
48.4%
20.0%
100%
30-49 (N=11344)
48.1%
37.7%
14.2%
100%
50 + (N=6681)
67.1%
21.0%
11.9%
100%
White (N=23711)
53.9%
32.6%
13.6%
100%
Black (N=3523)
40.3%
39.4%
20.4%
100%
Male (N=12353)
54.8%
31.9%
13.3%
100%
Female (N=15845)
49.0%
35.3%
15.7%
100%
No HS Graduate
45.6%
32.6%
21.8%
100%
Hs Graduate
51.3%
34.7%
14.0%
100%
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College Graduate
55.3%
33.8%
10.9%
100%
Lower/Work Class (N=1508)
33.3%
38.5%
28.2%
100%
Middle (N=12408)
58.7%
30.1%
11.2%
100%
Upper (N=927)
65.6%
23.8%
10.6%
100%
Table 3 shows the results of the collective data from the General Social Survey from
1972 through 2004. The sample size is very large, thus causing all of the relationships to be
strongly significant. The dependant variable is newspaper readership, and social class is the
independent variable. Age is introduced as the control variable for this analysis. Sixty-five
percent of the upper class members read the newspaper daily compared to 33% of the
lower/working class. When measuring the partial groups to the total sample we find that the
relationship between social class and newspaper readership is equally strong for each of the age
groups.
Table 3
Newspaper Reading and Social Class by Age Groups
Under 30
Middle Upper
50 +
Low Mid Upper
Total Sample
Low Mid Upper
58%
42%
73%
80%
33% 59% 65%
35%
31%
29%
18%
12%
39% 30% 24%
11%
11%
29%
9%
8%
28% 11% 11%
Low
Daily
23%
36%
34%
28%
54%
Weekly
47%
46%
45%
46%
< Weekly
30%
18%
21%
26%
Total
N =
100%
341
100%
2379
P=.000
Low
30 to 49
Mid Upper
Class?
100% 100% 100% 100%
121
506 4813 361
P=.000
100% 100% 100%
656 5175 439
P=.000
100% 100% 100%
1503 12367 921
P=.000
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Discussion
The results of the study are consistent with the findings of Peiser (2000). Table 1
illustrates the decline in readership over the past several decades. Cohort replacement seems to
be playing a significant role in this decline. As the U.S. baby-boomer population is beginning to
wane, newspaper readership is drastically declining.
The hypothesis, that (H1) people that come from educated families will be exposed to a
newspaper much earlier and therefore will continue to read the paper as an adult. In addition,
(H2) adults that have completed higher education are also more likely to read the newspaper
according to the information gathered from the General Social Survey. Both tables 2 and 3
illustrate these findings.
Haitz (2003) believed that the newspaper industry must reformat the newspaper so that it
can better appeal to a younger audience. The youth of this nation are living in an age of instant
technology and the rapid availability of the internet has changed the way we obtain and process
information. Newspapers are now forced to develop alternative revenue streams due to the
proliferation of various new media formats. More specifically, news outlets must determine a
way to get more online users to pay for their news, in addition to the revenue generated from
online advertising. This will be a formidable challenge for the entire industry. The major
obstacle being that the majority of news content is being delivered for free by various online
providers, including blogs and news aggregators.
Future researcher should focus on the tone, content, and delivery method that younger
news readers (and potential news readers) respond most favorably to. Also, writers must work to
understand the motivating factors that drive this age group (18-30). Again, the newspaper
industry has a considerable challenge ahead of it. The newspaper, as we know it, is not
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necessarily disappearing, rather changing into something new. In paper form, newspaper
readership is clearly declining and does not appear to be recovering. Undoubtedly, people will
always be interested in local, national, and world events. Therefore, the newspaper industry is
attempting to respond to this need with a viable alternative. Determining how to profitably shift
the business model to the internet is the latest challenge that the industry is facing. Those
companies that do not adapt their formats will ultimately cease to existed.
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References
Galper, J. (1998). You Read It Here First. American Demographics. 20, 46-47.
Haitz, H. B. (2003). Retaining the Core While Reaching Out to the Young. Neiman Reports, 57,
21-23.
Peiser, W. (2000). Cohort replacement and the downward trend in newspaper readership.
Newspaper Research Journal. 21, 11-22.