New data from Scarborough Research (a joint partnership with The Nielsen Company and Arbitron, Inc.) finds nearly three in four adults, nearly 171 million, in the U.S. read a newspaper – in print or online – on a weekly basis.
“While our data does show that print newspaper readership is slowly declining, it also illustrates
that reports about the pending death of the newspaper industry are greatly exaggerated,” said
Gary Meo, Scarborough’s Senior Vice President of Print and Digital Media Services. “Given the
fragmentation of media choices, printed newspapers are holding onto their audiences relatively
well.”
According to the demographic data in the study, newspapers continue attract educated, affluent readers.
In an average week:
- 79% of white collar employed adults read a printed newspaper
- 82% of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more read a printed newspaper
- 84% of adults who are college graduates or more read a printed newspaper
